Not So Pure Afterall
by Ingenuity15
Summary: Veela!Draco Mate!Hermione. It's their seventh year and the war is over. Everything should go back to normal now right? Wrong. How will the two heads cope with this new relationship? And what about one escaped death eater who wants to destroy them!
1. Chapter 1

So out of the choices I gave you, the majority of you wanted the Veela fic, and I have to agree with you, there are definitely not enough of these out there. Also, when I was starting to write this I came to realize that there are so many ways Veela are depicted, and since it was going to be a nuisance trying to combine it all I just picked the traits I liked best and thought would work best with this story. Although this wasn't the first one I posted, it was the first fanfic I wrote so I apologize if it is completely terrible, although I do not find it that bad myself. Anyways enjoy and I'm looking forward to hearing what you think about it :]

~Ingenuity15

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story nor do I acclaim credit for the wonders of the wizarding world. These were all thought up by J.K Rowling and the only thing that is mine is the plot line.

* * *

Draco Malfoy sighed in exasperation. He was stretched out on his king sized bed in the Manor, arms behind his head, just staring at the expanse of green that was his canopy. He was getting beyond frustrated now. It was the 18th of August and in exactly one week he was turning seventeen! He should be excited for this, anticipating the moment he became an adult in the eyes of the wizarding world, but instead of the expected happiness he felt oddly empty; like a part of him was missing, a part of him that he needed to find.

It had been going on since the beginning of summer. At first it was just a twinge of loneliness every once and again which wasn't that bad. Then every beautiful girl he touched or saw made him feel slightly queasy and extremely turned off; this was not acceptable for the proclaimed sex god! Now… well now it was just becoming unbearable! His heart was constantly hurting, reminding him he was missing something vital, although he had no idea what it was. He felt himself become more and more depressed with every passing day, and now he couldn't even get up any excitement for his own bloody birthday!

Draco frowned to himself, deciding he needed help. So he got off the bed, intent on speaking to his father and finding out what the hell was happening to him! Snapping his fingers, Draco called one of his personal house elves to him. There was a *crack* followed by a little creature wearing a dirty pillow case. The creature bowed low, nose touching the floor before speaking. "Master Draco wished for something from Gippy sir?"

"Yes Gippy, where is my father?" Draco said, sneering down at the house elf.

"Master Malfoy sir is in study sir. Can Gippy do anything else for Master Draco sir?" The house elf trembled slightly.

Draco didn't answer however; he just walked past the elf, down the many hall ways and stair cases in their ridiculously large Manor, and knocked on the door of his fathers study. He heard his fathers drawl stating to come in, so he stepped into the room before closing the door behind him. Taking the chair in front of his father's desk, Draco took in his surroundings. His father's study had once been cold and filled with all kinds of dark magic and objects. However, ever since his family switched sides in his fourth year to spy for Dumbledore, the office, as well as the rest of the house, had been redecorated, and anything that could be traced to the dark arts removed. The room was now a chocolate brown color, with book shelves and filing cabinets completely covering one wall while a fireplace and seating arrangement took over just opposite. His father's large desk was situated in between, almost in the middle of the room with a large ceiling to floor window behind it. The wall behind him, with the door, was covered in family portraits of his ancestors. He was never told why they switched sides, in fact, he hadn't even known they had until the war was over last year, with Harry Potter, The-boy-who-just-would-not-die, coming out as the victor. He had never taken the dark mark though, so it didn't really matter to him much. Especially since he was apparently on the winning side.

Draco looked up at his father who was concentrating on some contract or other, waiting patiently for him to finish before telling him what was on his mind. Finally his father put down his quill and looked over at his son. "Now Draco, to what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit? It is to my understanding that you have locked yourself in your room this past week and refused any and all visitors; myself and your mother included."

Lucius peered over at his son sitting in the chair in front of him. If you didn't know better he would look the exact same as he always did, flawless skin, high cheek bones, sharp aristocratic features and toned body. But if you knew him well and looked closely enough you would notice that his skin was just a bit paler, his posture a bit more slumped and that dark circles were starting to form under his eyes. Lucius knew what was happening to his son and he had been putting this talk off long enough. It was time to tell him, although this conversation would not be such a fun one.

Draco looked tiredly at his father, "I don't know what's wrong with me! I feel like nothings right with the world and I have no idea why!" He got up from the chair and began to pace in front of the desk. "I've been depressed, I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't even think straight half the time!" He continued to go on, laying everything onto his father who just watched him as he walked back and forth.

"Draco," Lucius interrupted. "Sit down boy, we have to talk."

Draco didn't really like the way he said it. He sat back down slowly, "So do you know what's going on with me?"

Lucius rubbed his forehead, slightly exasperated. "Yes I do. But I think it would be best to start from the beginning. Now tell me, how much do you remember of your grandmother?"

Draco just looked at him confused. "I don't see what this has to do with me. But I don't remember much, only that she used to tell me stories about magical creatures, but I don't remember what they're called now. I do remember she was my favorite of our relatives and that she died when I was 6. Why do you ask?"

Lucius sighed. "The magical creatures she used to tell you about were called Veela. How much do you know of them?"

_What the hell is he getting on with? _Draco thought to himself, _Maybe he's going batty or something? Might as well humor the poor guy. _"Well I don't know much as they're not part of the school curriculum but from a few references I've read in books and from what I remember grandmamma telling me I know that they are the closest magical creatures to humans. They are female but their offspring, or part veela, can be male. They have mates and if angered or threatened they can transform into bird like creatures. That's about all I know."

Lucius nodded his head, he actually hadn't expected him to know anything about them but this would make things just a bit easier.

"Well there is something you should know about Malfoy men son, and that is that we have always had a soft spot for Veela women, or they have had a soft spot for us I should say. Every couple of generations one would marry into the family, your Grandmother, my mother, happened to be one of them." He paused there for a moment, waiting for his son to put two and two together.

"I don't understand…" Draco said almost cautiously. "If grandmother was a Veela that would mean that you are half Veela and I am a quarter Veela right?"

"Well actually we are a little bit more then that by a fraction because of the bit of Veela blood in your grandfather but we won't go into that technicality."

"Yes, that's all fine and dandy but what does us being part-veela have to do with me being depressed?" Draco said, standing up from the chair once again.

"Well, everything actually." Lucius stated. "I'm going to explain this all to you but I need you to promise not to interrupt. It's going to be hard to say this once without trying to repeat myself a dozen times and you might want to sit down, I don't think going to like this very much…"

Lucius waited for Draco to sit down and confirm he wouldn't interrupt before he continued. "Well as you said before when Veela have offspring they are called part-veela, what you probably don't realize is that the Veela blood in most of these part-veela remains dormant for their entire lives and they never have to experience the side effects of it, as is my case. You however are not quite as fortunate. You see, when you were young, your grandmother told us that the Veela blood in you ran very strong, we didn't see it, but she could.

After a while we noticed as well. You were abnormally beautiful as a child and your magic was much stronger then it should have been, you would attract the attention of all females around you, even as a mere child and you were always very possessive and protective of everything you claimed as yours.

None of this was very big, and I wouldn't tell you this if it weren't important, but while you were a child, the wizarding blood in you dominated the Veela blood, meaning that although you were extremely beautiful and strong, you would live a relatively normal wizard life. As it is however, as soon as you turn seventeen your blood will turn, making the Veela blood the more dominant. The process will last a couple of hours and I am sorry to say that it supposedly is extremely painful. After that your senses will start to get sharper, you'll be able to hear and see further, taste scents in the air, so on. You will also start having these specific dreams; all of this is to help you find your mate…"

Before Lucius could get any further Draco had jumped up. "MY WHAT?" He yelled. He had remained seated this entire time, open mouthed and gapping at his father; although he took in every word it was just too hard to actually believe any of this. When he heard the word 'mate' he finally became overwhelmed.

Lucius just stared calmly at Draco. He had actually anticipated the attack much sooner so he didn't really worry about it. "Your mate Draco. Now sit back down and let me finish explaining this to you. I realize this is a lot to take in but you can't change what is and your birthday is in a week, so you really need to know what is going to happen. Unless of course you wanted to go into this unprepared, which I don't think you do. Now sit down." He said the last part a bit more forcefully and watched as the stunned boy slowly returned to his chair.

"Much better," He began again, "Now where was I? Oh yes, your mate. As I was saying your newly heightened senses and your dreams will help you to find your mate. She will be someone you have met before and once you have uncovered her identity you will be able to sense when she is near, or when she is in danger.

Now the tricky part to explain. Your mate is essentially your soul mate in everyway. Your Veela side has recognized her as your equal and as the one who will forever complete you. Listen to me now because this is of the uttermost importance." He paused to make sure Draco was paying strict attention. When he was satisfied he continued on. "You are connected to your mate, your life connected with theirs. If they're unhappy, you are unhappy. If they were to be hurt, you would feel some of their pain. If they were to die, then you would die as well." Once again he paused to let this information settle in. "You should also know that if you do not complete the bonding ritual with your mate before your eighteenth birthday, or they reject you, you will slowly die of a broken heart and incomplete soul. Although I should mention it is highly uncommon for a Veela or part-veela to be rejected by their mate. I mean, who would give up on living a life with someone who will forever love and protect you, someone who practically worships the ground you walk on?"

Draco just nodded dumbly. He was part-veela, he would have to go through a painful transformation, he had to find his mate and 'bond' with her or he would die… Which reminded him, "What exactly do you mean by 'bonding ritual'?"

His father's cheeks tinged a light pink and he cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well the bonding ritual is the way the Veela use to claim their mates and magically bind them both for life. There are three parts to this ritual; firstly is acceptance. Your mate will need to say out loud and of their own free will that they accept you and the fact that they are in fact your mate. Secondly is the marking, in which you will have to mark the neck of your mate staking your claim on her, I believe the word they use today is hickey." Both father and son were looking away from each other now and the awkwardness was so thick you could cut it with a knife. "And the last part is the actual bonding, in which you will have to engage in… _sexual intercourse_… and at the err… _peak _of your _pleasure_… you will have to bite her at the pulse point in her neck to inject a bit of your Veela venom into her and completely bind yourselves to each other. You'll have grown fangs for that part but they will disappear as soon as it is completed"

"Yeah… err alright… I'll remember that…" Draco stuttered. And he really would make sure to remember as having this conversation with the man who raised you was bad enough once, let alone twice.

They sat there in uncomfortable silence for another little while before Draco finally spoke once more. "So is this mate thing the reason I'm feeling incomplete as of late?"

Lucius sighed, happy to have the details of the bonding done and over with. "Yes it is son. Your Veela blood is starting to become stronger, and so the urge to find your mate is as well. You may very well feel that way until you can find her and bond with her."

Draco stood up then, all his questions answered. He really just wanted to end this conversation before his father decided to spring something else at him, like he was adopted or something. "Well father, I'm going to my room to think over all this. I probably won't be out for a while but if I have any questions I'll come find you again." He turned around and headed towards the door but was stopped by his father's voice.

"Draco, there's another thing you should know… I know…" Lucius stopped for a moment before shaking his head as if to clear it of a thought. "Just keep in mind that the more you try to resist your mate and the longer you stay away from her, the more pain you will feel and the crazier and more desperate you will become. What I'm trying to say is that once you find your mate, you must accept it yourself and do everything you can to win her over, ok?"

Draco tilted his head in confusion at his father's cryptic warning. "I'll remember it father." And with that he turned around and stalked out of the room. He reached his bed and flopped back down, too mentally exhausted to even change. _Well this is just fan-fucking-tastic, happy birthday to me_ he thought to himself as his mind turned over all the facts in his head. _This is going to be one hell of a year._

_.~***~._

Lucius watched as his son left the room but turned around as he felt a hand rest upon his shoulder. He looked into the concerned face of his beautiful wife, Narcissa.

"Were you here the whole time darling?" He asked her, careful to keep his voice down in case Draco was still near.

"Yes, I couldn't very well not be here and miss seeing how he would react to the news, but Lucius, why didn't you tell him who she is? It would have been so much easier for him to convince her if he had time to get over the shock and come to terms with it himself before he sees her again. I mean, we've known since forth year who she is! We should go tell him now."

Narcissa made to leave but was pulled back by her husband's hand. "There is a reason I didn't tell him Cissa. First, we don't know for sure if she's his mate, we just very strongly suspect. Secondly he needs to do this on his own. Just trust him dear, I'm sure he'll be able to win over her heart in no time at all." he tried to give an encouraging smile but it didn't quite work.

Narcissa saw that too and frowned slightly at him. "Fine, we won't tell him but don't pretend this will be easy for him. We know their history, we know this girl. Draco has one hell of a year ahead of him."

* * *

Well, what do you guys think so far? So I've decided I'm going to update every Sunday, _unless_ I get lots of **reviews**, and then I may just have to post one in the middle of the week as well :] It's all up to you guys and whether you want the next chapter up quickly or not!  
Really hope you're enjoying it, although this was pretty well a chapter for explaining everything so it's not overly exciting. I promise there's lots of drama, fluff, action, complications, and smut in the chapters to come so keep reading!

Love it or hate it,  
~Ingenuity15


	2. Chapter 2

So big thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really does make my day when I realize people actually read what I write and that they like it. And because I'm so happy with your responses I've decided to update early as promised! I hope this next chapter is up to your standards as well!

~Ingenutiy15

Oh and I actually have a questions to answer! I love when people get involved in my stories!

vampiregurl: I'd answer your question out right and tell you how they know, but it gets explained later on in the story at the same time they explain why they switched sides. So you're just going to have to keep on reading to find out! :]

Avalonhighgirl: You'll find out what Hermione's relationship status is in the next chapter, so you'll have to wait! I can however clear up the Lucius/Narcissa thing. It's not too big a part of the story but you'll find that Lucius and Narcissa do care for each other and their son very much, and although they know who Draco's mate is and accept this fact they are still very much Malfoy's through and through. I tried to keep everyone in character as much as possible although because of the whole Veela thing, Draco will more then likely be OOC at times. Thank you for your review and hope this cleared everything up for you! :]

And to le temps d'un automne: no worries, this fic is already written so I'm definitely going through with it to the end. I've decided to always finish a fic before I post it so that I'm never leaving an incomplete story if I get stuck or bored of it and I won't disappoint anyone with no conclusion. Hope you enjoy the rest of this fic :]

* * *

As the clock struck midnight signaling the end of August twenty-fourth and the commencement of the twenty-fifth a blood curdling scream could be heard throughout Malfoy Manor. Lucius and Narcissa both reached their son's door at the same time before stepping into his room and running to his bed side. Narcissa's hand covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a sob. Her only son was writhing in agony on his bed, thrashing about and there was sweat starting to drip down his face. Lucius just held her as he flicked his wand and in an instant Draco's hands and legs were tied to the posts of his bed so he couldn't hurt himself with his flailing. This entire time Draco continued to scream as though his very bones were on fire.

"How long will this last?" Narcissa finally managed to say as she leaned across the bed to smooth out Draco's hair from his forehead in a calming motion.

Lucius just conjured himself a chair and sat down. "I was told it could last anywhere from 2 to 8 hours, depending on how strong the Veela blood is. I'll stay here and keep watch to make sure everything goes accordingly, you should go to sleep." He saw she was about to argue so he added, "He won't be conscious of anything around him until his transformation is complete, and his body will most likely need him to sleep for a long while after that. I'll come and get you if anything changes."

Narcissa knew that she wasn't going to win this battle and so with one final glance at her son, who was still crying out in pain, and a kiss to the top of her husbands head she left the room. Lucius cast a quick silencing charm on the room so she could rest in peace and then turned to his son. He stared at the boy calmly, knowing the pain would not last forever and that there was nothing he could do as the magic in the Veela blood would reject any pain medication. He sat back in his chair and thought about the changes Draco would go through and how this year he would not only need to complete his NEWTS but also win over the heart of the most unlikely of mates.

"Sadly my son, the worst is yet to come." Lucius said with a wry smile. This girl would definitely not make this any easier for him, and sadly he couldn't blame her.

.~***~.

It was 11:58 pm and Draco was once again sprawled out on his bed staring into the green of his canopy, lost in deep thoughts. If he was honest with himself that's all he had been doing recently. He looked over and saw the clock change. _One more minute until my life will never be the same_, he thought morosely to himself, _I wonder who my mate is. What if it's Pansy? _He fought and failed to suppress a shiver at that thought. _No, father said it was someone who my blood recognized as my equal. But who could that be? She's definitely someone I've met before and yet every girl I've been with has never been anything more then a puddle at my feet. Well, all except for…_

He never got to finish that thought for he heard the clock strike midnight and with that came the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. It felt like a fire had started within him; like his very core was trying it's best to burn him from the inside out. He heard an ear shattering scream, not really realizing it was his own. He was past any rational thought; all he could do was feel the pain erupting into his body.

He didn't know how long the transformation had lasted. It could have been minutes, it could have been days. He did not know, but what's more, he did not care. All he cared about was the fact that it was finally going. He felt as if cold water had been poured into his blood now, dowsing out the flames while at the same time making him shiver and his teeth chatter with the iciness of it. When the last of the pain left him he opened his eyes slowly, squinting at first only to realize that the room was almost completely dark, only the flickering of a single candle lighting the space. Draco looked to the side of his bed as he caught some movement in his peripheral vision. He came face to face with his father, only just catching his whispered words, "It's over now son, get some rest…" before his eyes involuntarily shut and he was pulled into a deep slumber.

.~***~.

He was in a meadow somewhere, although he was at a loss as of where this somewhere was. As he took in his surroundings he noticed that it was more of a clearing then a meadow; there were trees surrounding the entire expanse and the grass green hills were rolling in the light breeze. Draco couldn't hear a sound but he could see the many birds flying around and all the incredibly fluffy white clouds as they lazed their way in the sunny sky. He felt like he was in a really cheap romance novel.

All of a sudden he caught a flash of white just to the inside of the trees and he felt this sudden irresistible urge to follow it. As he made his way over to the tree line he saw the flash of white again, only this time it was a little further off into the forest.

He started to move faster, only to find that it was gone by the time he finally reached the trees. Disappointed he was about to turn around when once again he saw the white weaving into the trees ahead of him and he chased after it. He now realized it was a woman he was following and the white he kept glimpsing was her cloak, a cloak with the hood up to further shroud her in mystery.

Draco started to become irritated as every time he neared this woman, this women who he had never glimpsed but who had already captured his heart, she would disappear; only to reappear further ahead once more. For what felt like the thousandth time Draco was just about to reach the woman, his outstretched hand only a mere centimeter from closing around her shoulder and then she was fading…

fading…

fading…

Draco opened his eyes slowly, squinting slightly from the dim lights in the room. _Ugh… _was his only coherent thought as he grunted out loud. Moving was definitely not an option, he felt like he had been run over by a truck, which then proceeded to back up over him before running over him once more for good measure. Suddenly he felt arms encircle him and try to squeeze the life out of him. "Oh, my baby's finally up!" His mother exclaimed happily as he started to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"Can't…breathe…" Draco managed to wheeze out.

"Narcissa honey, your suffocating the boy," Lucius drawled, a slight smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth. Narcissa finally pulled away and Draco thankfully took a few deep breaths.

"I'm sorry baby, but I was just so worried about you! It's been almost 12 hours since your transformation completed!" She was now stroking his hair affectionately. Although usually the epitome of a Malfoy, when it comes to her family Narcissa's usual cold demeanor and aloofness collapses to reveal a loving wife and attentive mother.

"I told you he would be fine dear, although his transformation only lasted 2 hours it still took a lot out of him." Lucius looked over to his son now who had finally struggled into a sitting position, "The fact that your transformation took so little time has me slightly worried. It means that your Veela blood is very strong and didn't need much time to completely dominate your wizarding blood."

"And what does that mean for me?" Draco asked curiously.

"I'm not quite sure. My obvious guess is that it means your Veela traits will be a lot stronger. You might want to be extremely careful around others, especially if you find yourself in a position where jealousy can make itself apparent." Lucius warned.

"I'll do my best." Draco replied. Then he thought of something else he wanted to discuss. "I had a dream already. One of those that you said would help me find my mate."

"Go on," Lucius said cautiously. He knew his son hadn't figured it out yet, there would have been a huge blow out if he had, however he was really hoping he wouldn't know until he was in school. As selfish as it was he didn't want to be within a 50 mile radius when Draco made the discovery. He was a former Slytherin after all; self preservation was in his blood!

"I was in this beautiful clearing but there was no noise. I saw a flash of white in the trees and I had this sudden desire to follow it, like my life depended on whatever it was. I followed it into the trees only to find out it was a woman. I don't know any of her features because the hood of the cloak was pulled up, but every time I drew near to remove it, she would end up further away. I don't think I've ever felt so frustrated in my life!" Lucius and Narcissa just nodded their heads as they let him finish his rant.

"I believe son that the dreams won't finish themselves until your other senses have picked up on your mate. The more time you spend around her, the more pieces that will fit together, and the sooner you can find out exactly who she is." Lucius concluded. He stood up from the chair he had been sitting in and headed for the door. "Come Narcissa, the boy still needs to rest and he may want some time to himself to adjust to the physical and mental changes he has gone through. Come and find me if you have any more questions Draco." He left the room and after Narcissa gave Draco a quick peck on the cheek she followed him out, closing the door on the way.

_Physical changes?_ Draco stood up, a little wobbly from his night's experience, and headed for the bathroom. He might as well get a shower and wash off all the sweat while finding out what these physical changes were.

While in the shower Draco discovered one of the changes to his body. His once lean and lanky frame had slightly filled out, the muscles in his arms and legs had completely toned up and his chest was now hard and firm with a very appealing six-pack.

Smiling to himself he decided that the physical changes were definitely going on his 'pros' list on being part-veela. If his face had improved as much as his body then his mate would have no choice but to fall head over heels for him.

Now Draco had never been bad looking, as his father had said earlier he had been the most beautiful child, and now he could attribute that fact to the bit of veela blood in him. However as he looked in the mirror now he knew that there would be no one to compare to him in looks. In all honesty, he looked like a god, with all the beauty of a fallen angel. His pale skin was slightly paler, giving off a slight glow. His sharp aristocratic features had turned even bolder in places, and slightly rounded out in others. His once slicked back hair was an even lighter shade of platinum blond and had grown a few inches so as now to cover his ears and fall slightly into his eyes so as to give him a sexy, mysterious look. And his eyes, his beautiful grey eyes, an almost blue grey that made them look like ice had an ethereal look to them, they swirled like storm clouds. Yup, definitely going on the 'pros' list.

Steeping into his closet and pulling on a simple pair of black slacks and a silver button up shirt Draco looked to see that it was now 3pm and realized that he was starved.

As Draco made his way down to the kitchens he realized his senses must already be getting stronger. Not only could he see much more clearly but he could smell the food the house elves were cooking all the way on the other side of the Manor, and he could hear the light tap of the rain as it hit the roof 3 floors above him.

He was about to step out of the floo room (the only room in the Manor connected to the floo network and the room where most guests were entertained) when green flames erupted from the hearth, announcing the arrival of a visitor.

Draco should have been more surprised as Blaise Zabini made his way onto the mat and began dusting the soot off himself. Blaise had a way with coming over at the most unexpected times, uninvited and unannounced, but he was Draco's best mate and the closest thing he's ever had to a brother, so no one really minded.

Blaise looked up and saw Draco standing there with his hand on the door knob, about to enter the dinning room. "Perfect timing I see, I'm starved." Was the only thing he said before heading over to Draco and entering the room first. Draco just shook his head, a little smile on his face. Blaise Zabini really was a piece of work.

The two boys sat across from each other at the overly large dining hall table, picking off of the various lunch dishes the house-elves had laid out minutes before. While they both ate in silence Draco took a moment to really look at his friend. Blaise was half Italian on his father's side, although with a mother like his no one really knows who exactly the father is, and he took most of his looks from there. He had a golden brown complexion and his black hair was a mess of curls that came to just below his ears. Since he grew up in Italy he was fluent in both Italian and English, although he had the Italian accent when he spoke. He was built like Draco was before, tall and skinny only with more defined muscles. But what got to the girls most was his deep indigo eyes that at times seemed to flash purple. He was the quiet type around most people, the type to fall into the shadows and observe others rather then really participate. He was second in running for the title of the Slytherin sex god, falling behind Draco of course, and was soon labeled by all the girls as the dark and mysterious type. Draco had never understood this because around him Blaise never seemed to shut up. And did the boy ever have a cursing problem, often slipping into his native tongue when he was ranting about something really bothering him, which wasn't often as the wizard was probably the calmest and level headed person to ever walk the earth. All in all Draco and Blaise made a formidable team, combining all their different qualities so that no one could stand in their way, but more then that, they shared a strong brotherly bond and found they could depend on each other for pretty well anything.

When they finished they made their way up to Draco's private entertainment room and plopped into the cushiony green and silver chairs; forever the Slytherin he was.

"So having a Happy Birthday?" Blaise said while staring at Draco, scrutinizing him closely. "You look different, something going on?"

Sighing Draco closed his eyes and leaning back a bit, ran a hand through his hair; a habit he used when nervous or agitated. "You have no idea Blaise, this past week has been pure hell."

Silence met this statement before Blaise finally spoke. "Well are you going to tell me about it or are you just fucking with my head? I'm assuming this is the reason I haven't seen my best mate in two weeks."

The last part wasn't a question but Draco answered it anyways. "Yes it is. This is all very confusing and long so you're only getting the watered down version but I am going to need your help this year." Blaise nodded his head to both show he was listening and willing to help. "Well you know about Veela right?" Blaise nodded again. "Well apparently my Grandmother was one and so that makes me a quarter Veela, and apparently the Veela blood in me decided it wants to dominate over my wizarding blood so I spent the majority of my birthday this morning going through an extremely painful transformation, and now with all the changes and stuff going on with my body, I have to find my 'mate' who is a girl who my Veela side has marked as my equal, and if I don't find her in time or she rejects me I won't live to see my eighteenth birthday. Yeah, so that's about everything in a nutshell, but I'm going to need you to help me find this girl and then win her over afterwards." Draco stopped to take a deep breath and then looked over to Blaise who let out a low whistle.

"And here I thought we'd finally be able to have a normal year," He let out a dramatic sigh while fighting a smile. Trust Blaise to find something humorous in the most horrible of situations, "Well think on the bright side, at least you have an excuse to give to Pansy when you tell her once again you're not her boyfriend and your not madly in love with her."

"Honestly! You shag a girl once in third year and all of a sudden she thinks your bloody well married!" Blaise couldn't help but laugh out loud now. The truth of it was the situation with Pansy Parkinson and Draco was completely hilarious for anyone who sees it. The girl had completely disillusioned herself into thinking that Draco and she were going to be married and that they were so desperately in love. She never left his side, clinging to him like a set of drapes and he made it so obviously clear that he wanted nothing to do with her that her obliviousness was just astonishing! Before the blond could throw the pillow he had picked up at his friend who was now shaking with laughter, there was a tapping on the window.

They both looked over to see a large barn owl with two letters tied to one leg. Letting it in, Draco untied them, noticing that one was addressed to Blaise and that the Hogwarts crest was on the seal. How that old coot knew everything Draco would never know. Throwing the letter at Blaise he tossed the owl a treat before sitting back down to open his own. It seemed thicker then usual and he soon found out why.

_Dear Mister Malfoy,_

_It is my great pleasure to inform you that you have been chosen to fulfill the prominent position of Head Boy this coming school year. Inside you will find a list of your duties as well as passwords to all the house common rooms and directions to your new dorms which you will share with this years Head Girl. I ask you to please arrive in the Heads compartment on the train where you will be debriefed and any questions you may have will be answered. I sincerely hope you take this with all seriousness and I believe you will do an impeccable job._

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,  
Albus Dumbledore_

Turning the envelope upside down Draco watched as a silver badge fell into is open hand. The words 'Head Boy' flashed ostentatiously and he smiled down at it.

"You lucky fucker, and here I was thinking that maybe I had a chance at getting that. But I guess a Malfoy always gets what he wants." He said it seriously but the mirth dancing in his eyes gave him away.

"You're just jealous that I'm smarter, better looking, more charming…"

"Don't forget arrogant, conceited, bitchy…" Blaise laughingly dodged a well aimed pillow and after being hit by one that closely followed held up his hands in mock defeat. "Alright, alright, I give in oh modest one you. Besides, it says here in your letter that you have to share a dorm with the Head Girl so really I should pity you if anything."

Draco, who was about to throw another pillow lowered his arms and cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean you should pity me? You get to share a dorm with three overly large snoring males whilst I get my own room and share a common room and bathroom with a pretty female. Although since this whole mate thing it doesn't really matter who the girl is since I won't be after her anyways."

"Oh you won't be after her alright." Blaise was now busting out in laughter. There were tears coming out of his eyes he was laughing that hard. "For someone who claims to be so smart you really are dense. Think for a minute. Out of everyone in our entire year, who is the most likely, well actually the only good option for Head Girl?"

"Well, it will probably a Ravenclaw because it has to be someone smart and it's not very often when one is ousted in a class, well that is if you exclude…" His eyes started to widen in realization and Blaise just laughed all the harder as he now doubled over.

"Granger… That's right… You get to spend your entire year working and living with the Gryffindor princess, the girl who has bet you in every subject, out dueled you many times over the years and gave you a very nice shiner in third year." Blaise continued a light chuckle as he stood up. "Well it was nice seeing you again. I'll leave you to your thoughts." Smiling he made to leave the room but stopped before pulling out a package from his robes that was neatly wrapped in silver and green. He tossed it over to Draco who swiftly caught it and continued on his way as he called out over his shoulder. "Happy Birthday fucker. Keep in touch."

As soon as Blaise had left Draco tore off the wrapping and the top of the box. Peering in he saw what looked to be a small black remote with a single green button. Curious he picked up the note written in Blaise's neat penmanship:

_With everything that has been going on these past few years I've learned that life is unpredictable and that you can never be too prepared but it's always nice to have a bit of fun too. So, this is a communication device I have created myself, I have one as well. If you want to get a message to me or chat in class without getting caught, just hold the green button and I'll be able to hear your thoughts. Just remember to take your finger off the button when your done, I really don't want to know what other shit goes through your head. _

_-Blaise_

Holding down the green button Draco simply thought two words; _thank you_. Not expecting to hear anything back he jumped when he heard a voice that sounded like Blaise respond in his mind. _"No problem, just no using this when I'm with a girl. Talk about major buzz kill."_

Laughing once more Draco got up and decided to go see his parents. He was in a much better mood after Blaise's visit and wanted to share the news of receiving Head Boy with them. Putting the green button in his pants pocket along with his school letter and his badge he decided to search for his parents himself and finally found them in the library, his mother reading a book on magical gardening and his father with his nose pressed into the stock page of the Daily Prophet.

"So I was made Head Boy." Draco simply stated. His mother looked up from her book smiling before coming over to give him a hug.

"Of course you were. Who else would they pick to do such an important job?" She smiled at him again before sitting back with her book. "I'll have Gippy run out and get your supplies tomorrow dear."

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you son." Lucius said, not even looking up from the page. "Oh and before I forget I gathered all of our books on Veela for you to go through so you can better understand what exactly is going on." He tilted his head slightly to the side, indicating a rather large pile of about twenty books.

"Thank you father. I'll make sure to go through them as soon as I can." Draco took out his wand and waved it at the books; they all vanished with a poof and reappeared in his room. "Actually, I think I might start on them now. There are still some questions I have about this whole mate thing."

"We'll see you for dinner son, and while Blaise was over we had all your birthday presents moved to your room. I hope you like them dear." She smiled before once again becoming attached to the book she was reading.

Draco made his way to his room and stopped in the door way as he saw the large pile of presents that awaited him. It really was lovely being the only child in a rich family. It took him an hour to open all the gifts and they really were lovely. He received; the new firebolt 3009, the new potions set he had had his eyes on as well as a dozen or so potion books to go with, new dragon hide Quidditch gloves, a large basket of sweets from honey dukes, a silver and green watch with a snake entwined around it and hundreds of other items that he found very useful. He was finding that although the morning was probably the worst of his life, his birthday actually turned out to be quite nice. Settling into the pillows on his bed Draco picked up the first book in the pile of Veela books; Your Mate and You: Finding The Love of your Life and read for the rest of the night. Maybe he could make this part-veela thing work for him, so long as his mate wasn't someone difficult…

.~***~.

Draco looked over at his parents as he made his way over to the bright red engine of the Hogwarts express. They were both standing by the entrance, no expression on their faces as they watched their son board the train. They looked every bit as a Malfoy should; perfect postures, superior attitudes and indifference radiating off of them. Draco shook his head in amusement. Some things not even war can change, a Malfoy's public image was one of them.

The whistle blew and Draco quickly made his way onto the train and down the aisle to the front where he knew the Head compartment to be. He reached the door and could see movement inside meaning that the Head Girl was already there. He took a deep breath and composed himself. If that was in fact Granger in there he would need all the control he could muster. Opening the door he found himself distracted by the most delicious smell of vanilla and strawberries before he was pulled back to reality by a voice filled with disbelief.

_"Malfoy?"_

* * *

So there you guy's go, probably one of the longest chapter's I've ever written. I love a nice Blaise Zabini almost as much as I love a sexy Draco, so you'll find I usually have both in my fics! Hermione is finally being dragged into this story so it won't be long before you get some nice Dramione action on the go. Although, I do admit there is a bit of a slow start with lots of denial and action. Next chapter will be up Sunday and if I get lots of reviews between this chapter and the next I may just post three next week. These first two chapters were more explanatory and introductory if anything, and although the next chapter does a bit of that to you'll find the plot line is going to start picking up quite quickly now.  
Anyways, would love to hear what you're thinking so far!

To love is to admire,  
~Ingenuity15


	3. Chapter 3

So here's the Sunday update, as promised. And if your responses to this chapter were as good as the last I'll be updating Wednesday and Friday this week, as well as Sunday of course :] So I really hope you enjoy reading this next chapter and I'm sure you'll find some answers to a couple of your questions (mainly about the Ron/Hermione relationship)

~Ingenuity15

RARRRRRR: I know what you mean about how in a lot of these stories Hermione just seems complacent really quickly and everything goes smoothly right away, which is completely out of character for both Draco and Hermione. I do my very best in my stories to keep everyone as close to their character as possible for as long as I can, and for this story it means an in denial Draco and a very stubborn Hermione.

_**Warning:**_ Ron bashing will ensue in this fic. I'm sorry if you really like the guy but I don't, and it killed me that he ended up with Hermione in the end. Although I've come to notice that people who like Draco usually have a strong distaste for Ron. Anyways, just thought I'd give you a heads up.

* * *

_"Malfoy"_

Draco stepped completely in the compartment before looking over at a gapping Hermione. The first thing he noticed about her was that she actually didn't look as bad as he remembered. Her hair was still an unruly mass of frizzy curls but it seemed to have an exotic look, and even though she still wore her clothes a size too big, it was so different from the extremely revealing clothes most girls wore that it was almost, dare he say, endearing? He found his way back to her face to notice her deep chocolate brown eyes, and her cute button nose with a light dusting of freckles across it. His eyes drifted down to her lips as he saw her lick them and noticed their fullness and the lush pink color of them. _I wonder what it would feel like to kiss her? Wait, what? Where the fuck did that come from? This is Granger for the love of Merlin! There is nothing attractive about the Gryffindor Princess know-it-all bookworm._ He shook his head to clear his thoughts only to notice that she was still staring at him.

Hermione was stunned silent as she saw Draco step into the compartment. He was probably the most attractive man she had ever laid her eyes on. _Wait, attractive? What am I thinking? This is Draco bloody Malfoy. Stop it Hermione, you can not think of him that way._ Luckily she was saved from any possible fantasies when he opened his mouth.

"Geez Granger, I know I'm hot and everything but there's no need to stare like that. You'd think I'm just a piece of meat or something." He smirked before sitting down opposite her and sprawling out, arms across his chest.

Hermione shook her head and glared at him. "If you must know _ferret_, I was just wondering how much your father had to pay in order for you to be made Head boy. There's no other way anyone would choose you for this position, not with other choices like Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein." She stated matter-of-factly. Now it was Draco's turn to glare, although he felt something more then just pure hatred, for some reason unfathomable to him he was feeling a slight twinge of, jealousy?

"My father did not have to pay a cent! I got this position all on my own because Dumbledore saw that I was obviously the best choice." The smirk returned to his face. "Unless you're questioning his choice. In that case you might want to bring it up with the old coot."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly label myself as an 'old coot' as you put it Mr. Malfoy, maybe a wise fool, or an eccentric educator, yes, I quite like the sound of the second one" They had been so caught up in arguing with one another that they hadn't notice the door to the compartment open, announcing the arrival of Professor Dumbledore who was now standing there with the twinkle that was forever in his eye shining in amusement.

Hermione tried to choke back her laughter behind her hand but wasn't doing a very good job of it as Draco's cheeks started to turn a light pink. That had to be a first, Draco Malfoy actually blushing!

"Oh, I wasn't talking about you sir," Draco said after taking a moment to compose himself. His mask was back up as he lied to the old Professor.

"Of course you weren't Mr. Malfoy, you were just talking about the other 'old coot' who chose you for Head Boy," Dumbledore sent Hermione a wink before getting down to business. "Now, as I can see you have both realized that you have been chosen to be this years Head Boy and Girl, and yes Miss Granger," He said as he noticed that the girl was about to retort, "I am fully aware of who you both are and my opinion was no way based on any outside influence. After much thought I came to the conclusion that although there may be a small amount of animosity between you two," Draco snorted at that, but Dumbledore graciously decided to ignore him and continue, "I believe there are no better choices for these positions and that if you two could put your pasts behind you, you could very well make the best team Hogwarts has ever seen." He smiled at them, once again choosing to ignore the hateful glances Hermione and Draco were throwing each other.

"Now, since we've gotten that cleared up I just wanted to personally go through the list of your duties and answer any of your questions or concerns before the term officially started. Today the two of you will be in charge of patrolling the train hallways every half hour with the prefects, making sure everyone gets off the train and that the first years follow Hagrid to the boats, as well as making sure all the prefects know their house passwords. After the feast you may both head to your new dorms and settle in, however tomorrow you will have to create a patrolling schedule. The patrolling will take place between nine to twelve every night, you will both patrol the halls together three times a week while the other eight prefects will alternate the other four. It is also up to you two to plan school events such as a Christmas ball and you must both help any students or teachers who acquire your assistance, for such things as tutoring and class demonstrations."

Dumbledore looked over at the two to make sure that they were staying with him. Hermione, as usual, was at the edge of her seat paying rapt attention to everything he said. Draco however looked as if he was distracted by something puzzling, and in truth, he was. Draco was finding it harder and harder to concentrate when all around him was that absolutely delectable smell. _Where is it coming from?_ He wondered to himself before something occurred to him. _Maybe it's coming from my mate! That would make sense since I have never smelt anything so appealing and I _am_ supposed to be attracted to this girl in everyway. That's good, at least I know now that she definitely goes to Hogwarts. I wonder who she could be…_

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said, bringing Draco out of his musings, "I wonder if you could come back down to earth please." At Draco's nod he continued. "As for your privileges, as you know you will have your own private dorms, but must share a bathroom and common room, I'm sure I can trust you both to restrain from any _extra curricular_ activities while there." He chuckled to himself as he noticed the look of disdain on Hermione's face and the growing smirk on Draco's. "You will also have no curfew as well as unlimited access to the restricted section of the Library." Hermione's face lit up with the last bit, she would finally be able to explore all the knowledge hidden in those books that were once confined from her.

"I believe that is all I have to say, are there any questions?" When he was met with silence he concluded their meeting. "Very well then, you two are to stay here for the first half hour to get to know each other a little and possibly set up a system of sorts for your duties. After that you must patrol the train and are then free to meet up with your friends or come back here if you wish." With one last smile at them and a twirl of his robes, he was gone.

They sat in silence for what seemed ages, Hermione thinking of how she would balance her Head duties with studying for N.E.W.T.S and Draco concentrating on pinpointing that smell. If only his senses were more developed, then he could have found her already and could get rid of these feelings of longing! He closed his eyes and started to take deep, concentrated breaths through his nose, concentrating on locating the smell. He was getting close, he knew it was coming from somewhere in the front of the train, and he almost had in pinned when…

"Hermione?" Draco was startled by the sudden intrusion and his eyes snapped open only to see the Weasel standing at the now open door looking rather nervous.

There was no response from Hermione, no squealing and jumping up to hop into his arms. _Hadn't they been going out or something?_ He looked over only to notice that Hermione's back had gone rigid and she was now facing the opposite way, towards the window.

Weasley took a tentative step in before speaking once more, completely ignoring the fact that Draco was there as well, "Please Hermione, it's been a month; I thought you would have gotten over this foolishness by now. I need you 'Mione." Draco didn't want to be interested, he really didn't, but he undeniably was. So the Golden Trio were having troubles in paradise? This could lead to lots of fun tormenting later on. His smirk grew bigger.

Hermione, if it was even possible, became even tenser, she whipped around, standing on her feet, her face was cold and emotionless but her eyes burned with all the fires of hell. Anger was absolutely radiating off of her. Facing a now terrified Ron she spoke in an icy voice that even had Draco quavering on the inside, "What did you say Ronald?"

Ron gulped at her tone, but did not back down. "I said that I thought you would have gotten over your nonsense and come back to where you belong."

Hermione's voice dropped to a deadly whisper that was even worse then the hard tone she had used before, "Gotten over my nonsense? Where I belong? Are you completely dense or are you part troll? I am not getting on with foolishness Ronald, you know what you did. And I do not belong anywhere that concerns you. Besides, why is it different now? You didn't seem to need me a month ago when I caught you shagging with Lavender Brown of all people! Great one year anniversary present it was too. I come over to spend the day with my wonderful boyfriend only to find he's been cheating on me for eleven months, _ELEVEN!"_ she was screaming at him now.

Ron's face turned red as he began to yell back at her, "Well I'm sorry that you're taking this so hard but I'm an eighteen year old guy and I have _needs_. Since your such a prude I had to find it somewhere else, so technically this is all your fault, you and your bloody 'I'm saving myself cause I'm a goody-goody virgin who wouldn't know the first thing about pleasing a man'. Now, I demand you get over yourself and come back to the compartment with myself, Harry and Ginny. Now that the problems solved I won't have to go to Lavender and you can make use of yourself."

Even Draco knew that he had crossed the line. He knew that the Weasel was dense, and yes he knew he had major anger issues, but he never imagined him as the cruel type. Even Draco would never dream of treating a woman that way, a woman he was courting anyways. The sound of skin hitting skin resounded off the walls and echoed down the halls. Hermione was now flushed in anger and her face was contorted in such pure hatred that Draco was sure the image would haunt him. Ron was staring at her stunned; a hand print sized bruise was already starting to form on his cheek.

"You… Despicable… Bastard! Get out of here and never, _ever_, speak to me again or I will make sure to hex you into the next life and back." Just to prove her point she pulled out her wand and pointed it into his chest. "Out. Now."

Weasley, probably making the wisest choice of his life, merely glared at her before turning on his heels and storming out, slamming the compartment door on his way. Hermione was on the verge of breaking down, her eyes filled with tears before she remembered that she was not alone. No, she would not cry in front of Malfoy. Instead she turned her wand on him and threatened, "If you ever tell anyone about this you will rue the day you were born." Draco nodded his head, too shocked to speak, and she sat back down, turning to face the window before letting a solitary tear fall down her face.

Draco was stunned to say the least. Not only had he found out that the Golden Trio was having major issues, but that he actually felt sorry for the girl. _Hermione doesn't deserve that, she deserves someone who can compete with her intelligence and treat her with the respect she's earned_. The thoughts had crossed Draco's mind out of no where, and he started to panic. _What the fuck is going on? First I think about kissing her, and now I want to comfort? Is the world coming to an end or something? Seriously, have to get over this, maybe I'll try concentrating on finding that smell again, or maybe…_

There was a knock on the door before it slid open, revealing Blaise Zabini. "Hey Drake, just making sure you haven't cursed each other to bits. Afternoon Hermione." Blaise was never one for house rivalries and cared even less about blood status. He gave the Head Girl his most charming smile before winking at her. Draco felt it again, that random feeling of jealousy, _but jealousy for what?_ He thought.

"Hello Blaise," She smiled back. She had always liked Zabini; even though he was a Slytherin he was different. They had been paired often in Advanced Arithmancy and had formed a sort of friendship, even if he was best mates with the walking talking ego.

Draco felt a sudden tightening of his chest when she smiled back and for a moment he thought he was having a heart attack and doubled over while trying to take deep breaths. "Draco? Draco? What's wrong?" Blaise asked in a concerned voice. As soon as it had come it had pass. Draco straightened up again only to see two concerned faces looking at him. _Wait, two? Why is Granger worried about me? Shouldn't she be smiling at my pain or something?_

"Are you ok Malfoy?" Hermione asked.

Not able to handle all the confusion that he was experiencing he stood abruptly and stalked out of the room while stating, "It's time to do our rounds."

.~***~.

Before the students knew it they had arrived at Hogwarts, some faced with the extraordinary feelings of being home once more, while others (mainly first years) were struck by the magnificent towering castle.

When everyone was seated at their house tables the first years were brought in and the sorting began. This year Gryffindor had thirteen new students, Ravenclaw eleven, Hufflepuff fifteen and Slytherin twelve. As soon as the last child, a tiny girl with blond pigtails, stumbled her way over to the Hufflepuff table Dumbledore stood to make his usual beginning of the year speech.

"Welcome back everyone and a special welcome to our new students. The war, as I'm sure you are well aware, is finally over and as such I feel it is time to start a new beginning, time to put old rivalries aside and bring house unity to Hogwarts." He paused to smile at everyone. "I must remind you that the forbidden forest is still forbidden to all students and was requested by Filtch to remind you that all products of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes have been banned." There was a groan as the students began to complain about the grouchy man and his cat Mrs. Norris. "I would also like to inform you that this year's Head Boy and Girl are Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy." He clapped and was followed by the rest of the students as the Gryffindors and Slytherins both cheered on their fellow house mate. "Tuck in." Were Dumbledore's last words before the empty dishes were filled with food and everyone began their happy chatter about their summers and the coming year.

Draco sat next to a silent Blaise as he scanned the halls for his possible mate. Shouldn't finding her be easy? The sent of vanilla and strawberries still filled his nose and the need to find its source only grew stronger by the second. Suddenly his eyes landed on the familiar curly head of Hermione Granger and he noticed that she was sitting at the far end of the table with the she-weasel. Both had their heads close together whispering and were taking turns sending glares up the table; he soon found out why. Sitting across from a rather nauseated looking Harry Potter was the Weasel, and what he assumed was that Brown missus, pretty well on top of each other as they shared a rather heated snog. He felt this sudden urge to go over there and punch the guy for his obvious lack of consideration towards Granger's feelings.

Before he could act on that rash thought however he noticed Granger stand up and start to walk towards him. _Why in Merlin's name is she walking this way?_

She soon answered his question when she stopped in front of him, all the Slytherins had gone quiet and were now attentively watching the exchange between the two. "Malfoy, I've already given the other prefects their passwords, and if you're done we should make our way up to the dorm so we can sort everything out. Classes do begin tomorrow after all."

"Fine." As much as he hated being told what to do he could feel the eyes of the professors as well as many students on him, and now that he was Head Boy, he could hardly cause a scene. He'd make sure to talk to her about it when they got to the dorm.

He briskly stood before telling the two Slytherin prefects their passwords, and followed Hermione as she led the way out of the Great Hall, and following the map, they found themselves outside the painting of 'Romeo and Juliet'. "Unity." Hermione clearly stated the password before they both stepped through into their new common room.

Draco was pleasantly surprised. He had expected to see an extreme clash of red and green to make him feel like it was perpetually Christmas; instead, he was greeted with neutral beige colored walls, decorated with many colorful tapestries and paintings and the floors where wood and chestnut in color. There was a sitting area around a fireplace with book shelves on ether end and two desks where they could study. He also noticed a small kitchenette on the other side, while in front of him was a stair case leading to two doors with their names engraved into them. It was rather nice, he had to admit. He heard Hermione let out a "wow" and he turned to her to settle the whole 'giving him orders' thing.

"Now listen here Granger, if we are going to have to work and _live_ together all year you better get this straight; you do not tell me what to do. I do not take orders from you and if you must talk to me, never do it in public again. I don't want people associating myself with the likes of you." He tried to smirk as a look of pain crossed her face but for some reason he couldn't.

"Don't worry _Malfoy_," She spit his name out like it was a curse, "It's not exactly like I'm dying to be seen talking to you ether. Just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours, ok?" She didn't wait for his reply however and just walked straight up to her room.

Draco sighed; this was definitely going to be an interesting year. Heading to his own room he realized it was an exact replication of his room at home, only now there was a door on one wall that obviously led to their shared bathroom. Putting away his stuff he stripped down to his boxers and crawled into bed, enjoying the feel of the silk sheets on his body. That night he dreamed of the clearing again, only this time he was surrounded by the smell of vanilla and strawberries.

* * *

Yes, Draco is being very oblivious, but think about it. If you were him would you really pick up on the clues that your worst enemy is your life mate or would you subconsciously suppress it until you had no other option but to accept? Well obviously I picked the second one and I hope you can see why I'm making Draco a bit dense on that point. This is where the fun begins, and I can tell you that it won't be long before the realization kicks in; I know your all waiting for that to happen. So if you want three updates this week just take a minute or two to give me your _honest_ opinions of this fic so far. I really want to improve on my writing as it is something I really love doing and your reactions and criticisms to my fics will help me do just that.

Love in its purest form,  
~Ingenuity15


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you guys so much for all the amazing reviews! Every time I post a new chapter I get really antsy thinking it was total garbage and it'll ruin the entire thing. You all make me feel so much better about it, and so I'll definitely be posting Friday as well! Hope you like this one!

~Ingenuity15

Sisterhood: I apologize for the confusion with the switching of views. I admit I am working on that aspect of my writing as I have a problem with always needing to get everyone's view in without repeating events over again, I just really want readers to see what everyone is going through. If it helps you to follow it a bit more Draco's views usually contain 'Draco, Granger, Weasel, Potter, so on' while Hermione's contain ' Hermione, Malfoy, Ron and Harry'. As for the Ron bashing I'm sure you'll forgive me in later chapters, but like I said before, I just really don't like his character. Hope you continue reading and thank you for taking the time to review!

RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl: I know exactly what you mean by all the clichés in Draco/Hermione Head fics, I'm pretty sure I've read all of them, and while avoiding them all is impossible I really did do my best to add my own original idea's to it. Thank you for your wonderful review, I'm really glad you're liking it so far :]

Once again, big thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this story and to everyone who's reviewed. It really does mean the world to me.

_Draco's thoughts  
__**Blaise's thoughts**_

* * *

Draco awoke grudgingly the next morning. He had been running after the mysterious girl in his dreams once again, still not able to reach her, leaving him frustrated and mentally exhausted. Stretching leisurely on the bed he got up, pressing an ear to the door of the shared bathroom to make sure Granger was not there. No need to create any possibly embarrassing situations when they're easily avoided. Content in the fact that it was empty, he opened the door and walked into the biggest bathroom he had ever seen. There was a huge counter stretching from wall to wall with two sinks, a tub the size of a large swimming pool with both a deep and shallow end. Also there was a shower that could easily fit ten people inside! Thankfully the toilet was of standard size.

Undressing he jumped into the large shower and was immediately met with sprays of water on every side at the temperature and pressure he favored. While thoroughly washing himself, he noticed that haunting smell of vanilla and strawberries once again as it seemingly lingered in the shower. _But that's impossible seeing how my mate wouldn't have been in here._ He contemplated for a moment, finally deciding it must be the after effects of his dream.

Content that he was clean, Draco stepped out and grabbed one of the plush green towels on his own personal towel rack and proceeded to get ready for the school day. He never was one for first day of classes but his stomach was practically begging to be fed. Pulling on his uniform and making sure that the Head Boy badge was on straight, he made his way down to the Great Hall, noticing as he did that the Head Girl's door was open. _She must be an early riser. Big shock there. _He thought sarcastically to himself.

He wound his way down the many halls and past the many trick staircases, before finally reaching the Great Hall, coincidentally he arrived at the same time as Blaise.

"Hey mate. Have anymore dreams last night?" Draco nodded as he and Blaise entered through the massive doors and made their way to the Slytherin table. "Well, did you finally catch up to your elusive mate yet? Or is she still hiding from you like any smart woman would?" Draco threw a mock glare at him before settling down and sighing heavily.

"I really don't know what to do Blaise. I can smell her all the time now, although I seem to be getting better at pinpointing it. Like I know she is definitely in the Great Hall right now." As if it might help, he scanned the crowd of seemingly faceless girls, not seeming to realize when his eyes lingered a little longer on a certain brunette Gryffindor.

"Well if it helps, come and visit the old common room after dinner and we'll sit down and throw out possibilities. Between the two of us I'm sure we can find this mother fucker out." He grinned widely as he piled a stack of pancakes onto his already full plate.

Draco answered with a smile of his own. "Knew I could count on you mate, but seriously, who do you think…" All of a sudden he turned a shade whiter, if that was possible, the smile slid off his face to be replaced with a look of disgusted horror as he stared at something over Blaise's shoulder. He ducked behind the Italian, whispering a quick "Hide me!" But it was already too late. Suddenly there was a screeching sound that had a lot of the students in the vicinity covering their ears.

"Draky-poo! Where were you last night?" Pansy sat herself in the empty seat next to him, practically crawling onto his lap and giving what she must of thought to be a sexy pout, but just made her look more pug like. "I was looking for you everywhere after the feast. I thought we could have our own little welcome back celebration." She gave him what he supposed was meant to be a subtle wink and began to nuzzle into his neck. Draco was sending pleading looks over to Blaise who was shaking with the effort to keep his laughter silent.

Draco, in his current part-veela I-have-to-find-the-only-woman-I-will-ever-love state, was even more repulsed then usually by Pansy's advances, and soon found himself pushing her away like she was a contagious disease. He gave her a final shove and she fell off the bench, much to the delight of everyone else. "Pansy!" Draco yelled at her, "What the bloody hell do you think your doing?" He stood up and started to wipe himself off, like he was trying to decontaminate himself of her germs.

"Draky-poo, why'd you do that?" She whined in that shrill voice that never failed to annoy the hell out of him. "That is no way to treat your future wife!"

Draco visibly cringed at that. Hell, he'd rather marry Granger then pug face Parkinson! Surprisingly, the thought of marrying Granger didn't seem as bad or repulsive to him as it should have. In fact…

But as always, his thoughts were once again interrupted. "Now help me up and apologize, or you won't be getting your… _present_ later on tonight." Pansy gave another 'subtle' wink that no one in the Great Hall would have missed. In fact, no one did, as their little spectacle had drawn everyone's attention and they were now all silently watching how this exchange would finally play out.

"Pansy, how many times do I have to tell you?" Said an exasperated Draco. He threw his hands up in the air in a dramatic gesture as he spoke down to the girl who was still sitting on the ground. "Obviously you're not getting it so I'm going to be very blunt with you. I don't like you, your not my girlfriend, never have been, never will be. You and I will never be married, in any life time. So do us both a favor and go find someone else to cling to, someone who may actually return the sentiments, because I can assure you that I don't."

He looked at her to see that she was getting up herself. When she was finally standing she placed her hands on her hips and pouted like a spoilt child not getting what she wanted, which was exactly what she was. "Draky, I do not appreciate what you're saying. Everyone knows you love me, so why you keep denying it I'll never know. Now apologize to me or we're through!" Across the hall a pair of chocolate eyes was watching the argument with a bit of amusement. As much as she hated Draco, Hermione couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for his situation. It didn't help that she hated Pansy almost more then she hated him.

"_We?_ Haven't you heard a word I've said? There is no _'we'_! I won't apologize from stopping you from molesting me while I tried to eat breakfast, and if you never spoke to me again I would be the happiest man on this planet!"_ Well that and if I could find my mate…_

"There's someone else isn't there? That's what this is about, your cheating on me with some whore! Well, who is she?" She demanded. The girl was positively delusional!

"Pansy, I can't cheat on you since we're not in a relationship!" He sighed in defeat; she'd never get it because she doesn't want to. He thought back to his dreams and how he was already falling hard for the mysterious woman. "But if you must know, I do like someone else, very much."_ If only I knew who she is!_

Shocked whispers carried throughout the Great Hall. Draco Malfoy, Slytherin sex God and Hogwarts own playboy having actual feelings for someone?

No one saw it coming, but come it did. One second he was thinking about his dreams, the next there was a *crack* and he felt a hand slap him hard across his cheek. Pansy had actually slapped him!

"How dare you? I thought we had something special!" Pansy screeched as tears started to well up in her eyes, "I hope you and your slut are happy together because I never want to see you again!" With that she fled from the great hall, wailing louder then moaning Myrtle as she went.

Draco, as well as the rest of the Hall just stared after her before once again the noise level rose as everyone returned to gossip with each other. Draco sighed and sat back down next to Blaise who had completely given up on containing his laughter and was now full out in hysterics. "I've been waiting for almost five years for that to happen." he continued to laugh until Draco had finally had enough and hit him hard upside the head.

"Some friend you are." Draco grumbled. He ducked his head into his breakfast as he tried to avoid all the curious eyes. He had known this blow out with Pansy would have had to happen at some point, he had just hoped it would have been in a more private location.

As if sensing his thoughts Blaise said, "Well look at it this way, since the whole school saw what happened at least it'll be very difficult for them to get the story wrong. You know how these things go, if you had told her with less people around before you know it you would have cheated on her while dumping her on her ass with your unborn child." He started to chuckle again before standing up. "Come on fucker, we have..." He looked at the schedule that had appeared in front of him on the table. "Advanced potions with the Gryffindors."

If possible Draco groaned louder as he was dragged to his feet and then out of the hall towards the dungeons.

.~***~.

Hermione glared at the red head who sat in front of her. She really was over him, one month had her thoroughly convinced that he was scum and she deserved better, but did he really need to flaunt around that… _harlot_? She really didn't want to be reminded everyday that she was one of those girls who were stupid enough to fall for someone who was obviously all wrong for them. She continued to glare daggers as he partnered up with Lavender Brown, the two of them making lovey-dovey faces at each other. It really was enough to make one sick.

"Can I sit here?" Startled, Hermione looked up into the green eyes of her best friend. Well, she had thought he was her best friend, but then after she had discovered Ron's unfaithfulness and had stopped talking to him, Harry had seemingly taken his side. She hadn't talked to him in months, and she really missed him.

"I guess, if you're talking to me now that is," Hermione said with a sad smile as she started to pull her potions supplies out of her bag.

"'Mione, I know what your thinking, but it's not like that at all." When Hermione didn't say anything he sat down in the empty seat and started to take out his stuff too. "I don't approve of what Ron did, far from it, in fact I gave him a good earful when I found out, but what I need you to understand is that no matter what you guys do, no matter if one of you," He added a pointed glance in Ron's direction, "act's like an idiotic git, your still my best friends, my family, and I need you both. Now if I had outwardly taken your side of this, which I have, then Ron would have never spoken to me again. You know how closed minded and impossible he can be." Hermione snorted at that understatement, making Harry smile, "I also know that you are reasonable, intelligent, forgiving, and the most amazing person in the world and that you would stay my friend, even if I was being a selfish idiot instead of being with you when you needed me." He said the last part wistfully before staring over at her with pleading eyes.

Hermione laughed at him. "Were you trying to soften me up with all those compliments?" When Harry chuckled and nodded she couldn't help but laugh again. "Very well, you're forgiven. But only because I've missed you a lot and because you're too cute for your own good." She reached over to give him a big hug with a huge grin on her face. "Now I know your going to be spending your time trying to keep the prat happy and with Quidditch, but do make sure to make some time for the other people in your life, like me for example." She pulled away and he smiled back at her.

"Of course 'Mione, I'll make sure to stop by the library and save you from all that knowledge every now and then so your brain won't explode." Hermione playfully punched him in the arm before pulling him into another hug.

Draco could feel the jealousy in him once again as he looked on the little heart-to-heart Potter and Granger were having. The question is why was he feeling jealous? _It's because they have each other while you're still feeling the loneliness._ He convinced himself. His jealousy flared as the two of them hugged. _Merlin I need to find this girl, I can't go around being jealous of Gryffindors!_

Thankfully the moment was broken up as Snape stormed into the classroom, making the door slam against the wall, his robes billowing behind him.

_**He always was one for the dramatic entrances wasn't he?**_

Draco smirked as he heard Blaise in his head. These devises he created really were going to be fun. Reaching into his robe he pushed in on his own green button.

_Yes, but at least he stopped the little love fest happening over there. I don't think I could have stomached to be in the same breathing space as that._

_**Sounds like someone's jealous.**_ Blaise teased.

_No, just nauseated._ Draco retorted. He heard Blaise's laughter in his head before tuning in to listen to the lecture his Godfather was giving.

"Now you and the person next to you will be partnering up to… _attempt_ to make Skele-Gro, by request of Madame Pomfrey. This is an extremely complex potion and if you deviate even the slightest, it could have deadly consequences. Begin." Snape sneered at them, giving an extra glare towards the Gryffindors, Neville specifically, he waved his wand, making the instructions appear on the board and then proceeded to sit behind his desk, observing them with his black beady eyes.

Draco and Blaise had barely begun working on their potion when there was a rumbling sound. Someone screamed 'Everybody down!' and they had just hit the floor when there was an explosion. When they thought it was safe they got up and looked for the source. Not surprisingly the cauldron which had exploded was that of Neville Longbottom, and his unfortunate partner Dean Thomas. Snape, who looked furious stalked over to them, "I should have known. What in Merlin's name have you done this time Longbottom?"

Neville just chose to cower while looking down to his feet. It seemed he had not gotten out of the way fast enough and was now covered in a putrid purple potion which was making him break out all over in green boils the size of snitches.

Snape merely sneered at him. "Twenty points from Gryffindor, and I want you all to write me an eight foot essay on what Longbottom did wrong. Class dismissed." With that, he went back to his desk but not before adding, "Oh and you two," He said to Neville and Dean, "I expect to see you both at eight sharp to clean up this mess. By hand."

.~***~.

An hour later could find Draco spending his free period in the library. _Stupid fucking Longbottom, making us have to do this stupid fucking essay. How am I supposed to know how he blundered up this one?_ Draco continued to grumble and complain under his breath while standing in the potions section, looking for a reference book that might help.

He took out a particularly dusty tomb and started to cough. Trying to take deep breaths to calm himself, he noticed it, that smell that he now knew by heart. She was somewhere in the library! He tried to breathe in through his nose and locate the source of the scent, only to find that the pungent smell of the old tombs were in the way. That's when he heard it. A tinkling laughter that sent shivers down his spine; it was musical and the most magical thing that had ever reached his ears.

He ran in the direction it had come, his only thought being that he had to reach it, had to reach _her_. The Veela in him had completely taken over and he was now going on instinct alone.

He was almost there, he just knew it! He ran towards the last stack of books, turned the corner and saw…

Granger. He let the disappointment consume him as he looked onto the bushy haired brunette who was smiling as she read a book. Although, if he thought back to it, that smile had done something funny to his stomach.

He breathed through his nose once more only to notice that the smell lingered here, and that it was as strong as it had been that day on the train. He didn't want to do it, he really didn't, but if he was going to find her he was going to have to.

"Granger." He said. He meant for it to come out as a sneer, but for some reason he was finding that harder and harder to do. She didn't stir as she was too consumed in the novel she was reading. Draco went over and snatched it from her hand, placing it on the table in front of her. "You know, it's rude to ignore people when they address you."

She looked up at him. For some reason those stormy gray eyes were doing funny things to her thought process. She shook those thoughts from her head as she glared up at him. "And it's rude to interrupt people when their busy _ferret_. What do you want?"

Draco took a deep breath before letting it out, he really wasn't in the mood to argue but this witch really did know just which buttons to push. "Well _Granger_, I was looking for someone and I thought I saw them headed down here. I was wondering if you could confirm that for me."

Hermione looked at him confused. He was being rather… civil? "Actually Malfoy, I haven't noticed anyone down here. But as you saw first hand I tend to be oblivious to the world around me when I'm reading."

Curses, of course she wouldn't notice, that would have made his life a hell of a lot easier. He turned on his heels, intent on trying to track the scent when Granger's voice drew him back.

"Since you're here Malfoy you might as well sit down so we can make the patrol schedule. We have to hand them into Dumbledore before the end of the night after all."

She was right; she always had to be right. Sighing, Draco slowly turned around and sat across from the Head Girl. "Fine, but we're making this quick. I have much better things to be doing then sitting here being contaminated by you." Once again he wished he could have put more venom in his words. What was wrong with him?

They were there for no more then ten minutes. Finally deciding that they would patrol Monday, Wednesday and Sunday nights while the house prefects took turns alternating the other four. During that time they only spoke when necessary, the only sound filling the silence being the scratch of Hermione's quill as she wrote everything down. Draco found himself feeling weird. His stomach kept jolting every time Hermione spoke, he had a random urge to reach out and tuck a stray curl that had fallen into her face behind her ear. As soon as Hermione said they were done, he got up as quickly as he could and nearly ran his way out of the Library. He realized it was almost dinner now and he wanted to speak to Blaise without anyone around so quickly he fingered the green button and sent a quick message for Blaise to meet him in the Slytherin common room.

Draco made his way there in record time and found Blaise ready and seated on the couch across from the fireplace with a huge plate of sandwiches and two mugs of pumpkin juice. Got to love house elves.

"Do you have the list?" Draco said impatiently as he made his way over to the couch.

"Nice to see you too." Blaise said in a mock cheerful voice as he pulled out a very long piece of parchment. It was a list naming every girl attending Hogwarts. "So I'm assuming we're going to try and figure this out by process of elimination?"

Draco nodded before settling down next to him. "That's the idea. Although I'm not quite sure how we're going to go about doing it." He slumped against the pillows and sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Well what did your father say when he talked about your mate?" Blaise rationalized.

"He said that it was someone I've met before, someone who my Veela side has marked as my equal, someone who is my soul mate, who helps to balance me out. In other words he gave us nothing to work with."

"Well that's not true," Blaise had a calculating look in his indigo eyes. "It has to be someone who is your equal, so someone who has some intelligence at least, someone who balances you out, so obviously someone who can hold their own with you if they're to be your equal."

"That's right, so we can cross out Parkinson. Right now, please." Draco added. Blaise laughed as he put a bold line through Pansy's name.

They went through the list for an hour, going through every name thoroughly. In that time they had only gone through last names A-D and had crossed them all out.

"Blaise, we have to find her! These side effects are driving me crazy!" Draco screamed out as he tore at his hair in frustration. He stood up and began pacing the room. They only had a half hour before everyone would be back from dinner.

"Side effects?" Blaise looked at him curiously. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me you were having side effects? What are they?"

Draco stopped pacing and stood in front of Blaise "Well, lately I've been feeling jealous over any kind of relationship, even friendly ones, like when Potter hugged Granger or when I thought you were flirting with her on the train. The scent of my mate lingers everywhere, like when I was in the shower this morning after another dream, and when I followed her laugh in the library before I had my run in with Granger. And I actually had feelings of sympathy for the know it all when her and the Weasel had the blow out in the compartment. It's distracting me from finding my mate and I can't handle it anymore." Draco, who had taken to pacing again, flopped back down onto the sofa, running his fingers through his now mused hair. He looked over to Blaise, hoping to get some wisdom or advice.

What he didn't expect was for Blaise to drop on the floor, rolling round in fits of hysterical laughter. Tears were streaming from his eyes and he was having obvious trouble breathing. "Oh… my… god!" He continued for another 5 minutes before he subsided into deep, rumbling chuckles.

"If you're quite finished now?" Draco said, quirking an eyebrow at the boy who was sitting on the ground trying to take deep breaths. "I know, it's quite horrible, but if you would stop your laughing and help me out here I can get rid of the effects and live to see eighteen!"

Blaise just chuckled again as he shook his head and looked up at his blond friend in amazement. "As intelligent as you are, you are proving yourself to be incredibly dense right now. I'm not helping you figure this out because I already know who she is." He grinned at this.

Draco immediately cheered up. "Well then? Who is she?"

Blaise gave him an amused look. "I'm not telling." Seeing that Draco was about to retort he held up his hand to silence him and added. "Drake, if I told you, you wouldn't believe me. The only way you're going to believe it is when you figure it out yourself."

.~***~.

For the next few hours Draco tried to get Blaise to tell him. Promising to believe him, even begging at one point! Which no respectable Malfoy would do. However, the stubborn Italian would not relent, and sooner then he wished it was time for him to do his patrols.

Upon mutual agreement, the two Heads decided it would be better to take the risks of patrolling alone, in favor of keeping some peace for those few hours, instead of spending them together ripping at the other's throat. He agreed to Patrol the bottom half and other then a few Hufflepuff third years trying to get to the kitchens it was an uneventful four hours, during which he found his thoughts often straying to a pair of chocolate eyes, wondering if she was having a better night then he was.

Returning to the common he noticed Granger had already returned. Too exhausted to do much else Draco went to his room where he quickly succumbed to his dreams.

.~***~.

The clearing was once again clear, only something was different. The once silent birds were now chirping happy little tunes while they flitted from tree to tree. Yup, he was definitely in a cheep romance novel. Inhaling deeply, he smelled the vanilla and strawberries and knew immediately that she was here. This time however, he heard her before he saw her. That beautiful musical laughter that made his heart swell and his need for her grow.

Tonight, he came closer to her then he ever had before.

* * *

So, now Blaise knows the truth. I think the only one in on all this who doesn't know is Draco, but trust me, he soon will ;)  
Oh and I'm going to pre-apologize for Friday's update. My friend already read my story and she said that you guys will all hate me for ending the next chapter where I do. I really have a feeling you'll like Sunday's update though!  
If you want three updates the next week as well you know what to do!

Love conquers all,  
Ingenuity15


	5. Chapter 5

I am so sorry for the late update. Fanfiction was being an idiot and not letting me login to post my chapter! Oh well, better late than never I suppose. I am actually so happy with the responses I've been getting with this story. It's made me work twice as hard on finishing the other one's I've been writing just so I can see what you all think of them. Although this one isn't near finished being published, with the way things are going I'll be posting four times a week and then it'll be complete before you know it! What I'm really getting at is that you should all go check out my profile and start letting me know which story you want posted after this one. And if you have any suggestions, or requests, for another story you want me to start on please feel free to ask!

~Ingenuity15

JillianUnleashed: You should never have to apologize for giving people your honest opinions and helpful criticism, especially if they're like me and really want it. I have noticed I occasionally mix up those words, and I will make sure from now on to triple check my work before posting it, as, for personal reasons, I will not be getting a Beta. Thank you so much for reviewing and feel free to correct me on my errors, I really do appreciate it. :]

Snapes-star: If you keep reviewing like that I'll definitely be updating four times a week! :]

RedDragonSoldier: I know how you feel. While writing this I was alternating between laughing at his obliviousness and hitting myself on the head for making him that way. You'll just have to trust me on this; it fits better into the story and my vision of Draco's character this way. And you won't have to deal with it for much longer, no worries ;]

Big thanks to everyone whose read and reviewed!

* * *

All throughout breakfast the next morning Draco refused to speak to Blaise, who spent the whole time smirking over at him, his eyes twinkling with the secrets he knew but would not tell. Draco was never a morning person, but since these dreams had started, and with them the longing for his mate, he was a hundred times more irritable. And knowing that Blaise knew who she was, and wouldn't tell him; he was like a bomb just waiting to go off.

Draco looked up as he heard the swoosh of hundreds of owls, signaling that the post had arrived. His magnificent looking eagle owl landed gracefully in front of him and outstretched his leg which contained the mornings Prophet and a letter. Untying both, he threw the Prophet at Blaise, whose smirk just grew wider, and gave the owl a bit of toast before picking up the letter. It was addressed to him in the fancy, loopy writing of his father, and since he never usually received anything from him, Draco figured it must be about the mate thing; and he was not disappointed.

_Son,_

_Your mother is already starting to worry about you not finding your mate, and in doing so is driving me to madness. It would be rather considerate if you would keep her updated daily in these affairs so we may both keep our sanity.  
Knowing who your mate is however, I feel her fears are not quite without reason. Yes, your mother and I know who she is. You would too if you opened your mind as I'm sure the clues have made who your mate is undeniably clear. There is no sense in asking me to tell you, I've already decided it would be better for you to do this on your own. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough, and if not, you might want to pick up the pace. You only have a year to win her over, and you're going to need it._

_-Father._

To say he was angry would be an understatement; Draco was furious! Did everyone know besides him? It had only been two days and already the scent of this girl was driving him mad with want. Draco had lost all control over his life to these Veela instincts and he hated the feeling of being unable to make his own choices. Ever since his transformation the day of his birthday, he could feel all his priorities change, everything shifting down to make room for this woman at the very top, and he didn't even know who the hell she is! Correction, still doesn't know who she is.

He crumpled up the letter and tossed it into his mug of coffee with an undignified snort. Pulling his schedule from his bag he saw that he had a free period before Defense Against the Dark Arts… With the Gryffindors. Deciding it would be best to reply to the letter, he stood, intent on going to the owlry. Blaise, who had been watching his friend's reaction to the letter, stood to follow. Now that he knew who Draco's mate was, he wasn't about to let him do something really stupid that could ruin all his chances with her forever. Not that he wasn't going to have enough trouble as things stood.

The two walked silently out of the Great Hall, Draco still furious with the whole situation while Blaise contemplated if it wouldn't just be easier to tell him the truth. He'd have to believe it sooner or later anyways.

Things just seemed to go down from there when the two almost collided with someone. Three someones to be exact. Part of the not-so-Golden Trio plus one weaslette, two of whom were staring at them with something akin to loathing, squaring their shoulders for the battle that was sure to rage.

"Malfoy, Zabini." Harry said coolly. His face showed no expression but his eyes were hard. Even after the end of the war and finding out the Malfoy's had been on their side during, they all found it hard to forgive and forget. The only ones who seemed to find these regular encounters completely juvenile were Hermione and Blaise. The latter glanced between the faces of the three others and shook his head. Some things never change. _On the other hand…_ Blaise looked over to Hermione, and allowed himself a small smile;_ some things may change quite a bit._

Hermione cocked her head in confusion as Blaise smiled over at her, making her feel like there was something big happening that she knew nothing about. She hated feeling like she was missing something! Mentally resolving to corner Blaise about it later she smiled back and then rolled her eyes in the direction of the three who still stood glaring at each other.

"Well, if you are all quite through with your medieval stare-down we'll be going now. Malfoy, Blaise." She gave them both short nods, her face warming a bit towards the Italian before taking hold of her friends and guiding them to the Great Hall. Once again Draco felt the jealousy roar up inside of him. Why should he care if Granger smiled at Blaise and not him? He didn't! But then why was he feeling like a part of him was being ripped out? So, Draco did the only thing he knew how to do when he was angry and confused; he acted like a complete bastard.

"So the great Potter takes orders from a filthy little mudblood? Should have known you wouldn't have a backbone. No man would ever take orders from a woman like that." He sneered at them. In all honesty, Draco didn't think that at all. He had learned from watching his parent's relationship that things usually went better when the women did the thinking and the men did the following. Not that he would ever say that out loud though.

Time seemed to stop as Hermione spun around on her heels, her eyes shinning with anger and unshed tears. Blaise was to the side with grim features as he gave his friend a look that clearly stated 'what the fuck you fucking wanker!' and shook his head sadly. Draco couldn't explain it but his chest tightened as he saw the hurt clearly written across the brunettes face. He was suddenly regretting his rash decision to dredge up old wounds; he hadn't used that word since the war had ended.

Hermione turned her back to him again, squaring her shoulders in defiance and walking straight through the large doors. Harry followed behind her, trying to catch up and make sure she was ok whilst Ginny shot him a dirty look before following behind his friends. Draco looked over to Blaise whose face was dark. He grabbed onto Draco's wrist before pulling him down a couple corridors and into an empty class room. He was silent the whole way there but as soon as he had locked the door and placed a silencing spell he exploded.

"What the fuck you bloody bastard! What the hell was that for?" Draco remained silent while looking at the floor. He didn't know what made him say it; the frustration of not knowing, the fact that everyone else seemed to know, the inexplicable feelings of jealousy and betrayal he had felt, or maybe all of the above.

"I don't know." Draco replied honestly.

"You're a right ass you know that? Haven't you learned from the war that blood doesn't matter? Or are you really that bigoted?" He glared at his friend.

"I know it doesn't matter! Sure I used to believe in it, but you know my views have changed since then!" Draco defended himself although he still hadn't looked up from his feet. Blaise was never angry, but when he was, you learned to take him very seriously.

"I used to think you had changed all that pureblood crap, but now, I'm not so sure." He turned his back to the blonde. "If you really had changed you wouldn't have called Hermione a mudblood."

Draco became angry now. "I was angry, frustrated and confused! No one will tell me who my mate is, I can't seem to find her, even though it's apparently obvious, and on top of that my need for her is growing stronger and the Veela in me is going into depression mode, and it's only been a little over two weeks since the change! So forgive me for making a mistake and taking it out on Granger. It was wrong but what's done is done. I'm not about to go prancing up and apologize, and it's not like she could hate me anymore than she does." He didn't know why, but that statement bothered him. "It won't happen again."

Blaise looked at him with a look of pity before undoing the spells and opening the door to leave. Before he did though, he looked over his shoulder to Draco who had a look of confusion and deep thoughts. "I trust you to make sure you don't, but believe me when I say that you will be regretting this later. More than you know."

.~***~.

Draco watched as Blaise left before sinking down to the floor and resting his head in his hands. Why did everyone have to be so fucking cryptic?

By the time he had picked himself off the floor and sent the owl to his parents Draco had to rush to make it to class on time. It would not be good to be late his second day as Head Boy.

.~***~.

He arrived with seconds to spare and sat down heavily next to Blaise, who had, thankfully, forgiven him and was once again smirking at him in that knowing way.

"Settle down, settle down." Came the voice of Professor Lupin, who had thankfully taken the position back. "Today we will be having practice duels so I can see where I need to start this year." He looked over them all, as if assessing each and every one of them before speaking once more. "Perhaps we should have our two Heads come up to demonstrate, yes?" He gestured for both Hermione and Draco to come forward to the front of the class. They both slowly stood from their seats, Hermione's jaw set and her eyes flashing. Apparently she hadn't forgotten this morning's transaction.

"Very good." Lupin said as they faced each other and performed the customary bow. "Now I want you both to do your best to disarm your opponent. Nothing permanent or harmful please."

They both raised their wands and went to cast their first spell.

Hermione yelled out "Expelliarmus!" and the spell hit Draco squarely in the chest with enough force to send him flying back.

He sat up straight on the floor with a confused look on his face. Although he knew Granger was a better dueler than he was, with her vast knowledge of spells, he knew he was much faster with better reflexes. However, as he had tried to cast a simple leg locking spell he felt extraordinary pain before being hit.

He looked around to Blaise who was now full out grinning, as if he knew what had just happened.

Lupin beamed over at Hermione. "Very well done! Now I want you all to pair off and practice, remember you are not to harm one another!"

Hermione stalked off and partnered with Harry whilst a still stunned looking Draco walked over to Blaise.

"Not fast enough to throw a hex at Granger huh?" Blaise laughed at Draco's expression before the two started their friendly duel. They were evenly matched and by the end of the class Blaise had won five rounds and Draco had won seven.

.~***~.

The rest of the day past quietly for them. They had no more ugly encounters since that morning and their only class with any Gryffindors was Advanced Arithmancy, in which there were three other Slytherins, one Hufflepuff, six Ravenclaws, and two Gryffindors; one of whom was Hermione who ignored them blatantly.

.~***~.

That night found Draco studying in the shared common room, mumbling under his breath as he tried to solve the hardest Arithmancy problem he had ever seen. He suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and he realized he was not alone. He looked over his shoulder to find that Granger had come in and was now quite comfortably reading on the plush couch.

Without even glancing up from her book she simply said, "The answer is twenty-five."

Draco's jaw dropped. How in Merlin's name had she figured it out while he had been here for hours with not a single inkling as to how to solve it?

As if reading his thoughts Hermione finally looked up at him and smirked, "If you really need some help with that, all you have to do is ask nicely."

That smirk on her face, full of mischief and self content, did something to his stomach. Ignoring the sudden onslaught of butterflies, he merely sent her a scathing look and turned back to the page. "I don't need help, and I already knew the answer was twenty-five." He said through his clenched teeth.

Hermione closed her book and stood up angrily. "Would it kill you if for once you admitted that even the _great_ Draco Malfoy is not perfect and needs help from someone as _unworthy_ as myself?" She said sarcastically.

He stood now too and faced her, not willing to let her chastise him for this morning and make him feel guilty about it. He was about to yell at her but she cut him off. "Save your shit Malfoy. I don't need to hear it, and more over, I don't want to."

She went to walk past him, and wanting to get the last word in Draco grabbed her arm to stop her from storming up to her room. As his hand closed around her he felt this bolt of electricity shoot through him, every nerve in his body tingled and he became ultra aware of the closeness between their two bodies. His heart lifted at the contact, and for the first time in weeks, he felt completely whole. He looked into her eyes, which were wide in shock, and he literally felt like he wanted to drown in them. His whole world had finally shifted into place, and he suddenly knew what he had been missing, what clues he had so obliviously ignored; the smell always around her, that day on the train, all those moments of jealousy, the cryptic warnings. It all made so much sense!

Hermione Granger was his mate.

With that realization, Draco was brought sharply back to reality. He let go of her arm and started to back away, panic evident on his face and in his voice. "No, it can't be true… It can't… No… NO!" He turned from the Head Girl, who now looked thoroughly confused, and ran to his room, locking his door and silencing it.

He began to pace back and forth, for nearly an hour repeating things like 'It's not true', 'Just the side effects', and 'Never happen in a million years'. After finally convincing himself that she was in fact not his mate he climbed into bed and dreamed.

.~***~.

The dream started as normal; he was in the clearing, he smelled her, he heard her laugh, and then he saw the white before following her at a run.

Then something changed.

On what may have been his hundredth try to reach her she _didn't_ disappear, his hand _didn't_ close in on thin air, and he _didn't_ keep running. He felt that familiar bolt of electricity as he touched her shoulder and finally knew what he could not deny any further. He let go of her like he was burned and watched as she slowly turned towards him. "No… no…" He repeated over and over as the figure reached up and pulled down the hood of her cloak, only to reveal an abundance of wild, curly brown hair, and deep, chocolate brown eyes.

Draco woke and quickly sat up straight in his bed, **"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

* * *

So, he finally knows! And now, the real fun can begin ;]  
This chapter was actually longer, but as I said before, there was a huge and evil cliffy, and I decided I didn't want you all to hate me, even if I am updating tomorrow, so I cut the chapter a bit short and now it's only a tiny bit of a cliffy as to what Draco is going to do now.  
As always, love to hear your reviews, and if their as lovely as last time I'll update four times next week! I'll let you know the plan on tomorrows update.  
Hope you liked it, and now you no longer have to deal with a 'dense as a brick wall' Draco!

Love is addictive,  
~Ingenuity15


	6. Chapter 6

So here's the Sunday update you've all been waiting for! Some good news for those of you who like this story and want more; because of your amazing reviews on the last two chapters, and because I just got an 85% on a History test I thought I failed, I'm going to update, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday! That's four new chapters, bringing us to Chapter 10, and I know for a fact some of you are going to like one of them a lot! Keep on reading and reviewing! Don't forget, I'm looking for a new fic to write and I want your suggestions!

~Ingenuity15

Team O'Hagan: You are now officially my favorite person ever. Thank you so much for your lovely review! Writing stories is what I love to do in life and to know that they're appreciated really does make my day. :]

_Draco's thoughts  
__**Blaise's thoughts**_

* * *

Draco scrambled out of bed and ran to his dresser. He tore open the top drawer and started flinging clothes about the room until he found it; the green button. Not caring that it was 3am and that Blaise was most likely sleeping, he pushed down on the button and mentally screamed as loud as he could.

_BLAISE YOU GIANT ASS FUCKER, GET YOUR BLOODY BEHIND TO THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT! NOW!_

If one listened hard enough, you could hear the dull thud of someone falling hard out of bed.

Throwing on a robe and a pair of slippers Draco quickly made his way to the other side of the Castle and to the room of requirements where he was met by a half asleep Blaise. He was leaning tiredly against the wall, but turned to face Draco as he heard the foot steps. Still managing a smirk while unsuccessfully containing a yawn he spoke. "Finally figured it out did you?"

"Oh just shut up!" Draco growled at him. He walked past the wall three times, thinking of the room he wished, and dragged Blaise into the newly formed door that had just appeared on the wall.

The room they entered was small with just a couch, two armchairs and a roaring fire; Perfect for the… _discussion_ the boys were about to have.

Draco flung Blaise onto the couch, and glaring down at him, he flung his arms up and began to yell. "Why the bloody hell didn't you tell me? Did you think it would be funny to watch me suffer more? Or maybe you just wanted to watch me dig a further hole for myself than I already did yesterday?" He ran a hand through his tousled hair as he screamed a couple of obscenities. When he seemed to calm down a bit, Blaise held up a hand to speak. "What?" Draco snapped at him.

"Well I was going to answer your question, if you're done with your PMSing that is." When all he received was a sneer he continued. "I already told you the reason when I first realized; you simply would not have believed me." Draco opened his mouth to deny it, but then closed it again. He was right of course; there was no way in hell he would have believed that Granger, of all people, was destined to be his life long mate.

With that thought Draco groaned out loud and sank into the spot next to Blaise. "What the fuck am I supposed to do?" He whined because there really no more use in denying it. "You do realize she's just going to let me die out of spite, right? Was my inner Veela high on crack when it picked her? Or perhaps severely drunk?"

Blaise gave a small chortle at that. "If this experience has taught me anything about you, it is that you may be the most oblivious person on earth. Seriously, first you can't pick up on the obvious clues that Hermione," When Draco cringed at the mention of her name a smirk started to for on Blaise's face. "Oh come off it now, this is the future love of your life, you're not going to call her by her last name forever are you?" Blaise laughed out loud as Draco turned a pale green at the mention of loving Granger.

"As I was saying, you completely missed the clues she was your mate, even though they pretty well slapped you in the face at every turn, and now you're missing the fact that Hermione is definitely the perfect woman for you!" He finished with a smile, only to be greeted with a look from Draco clearly stating 'If you don't explain that last statement I'm taking you to St. Mungo's to get your head checked'.

Blaise just shook his head in disbelief. "I honestly don't see how you can be so obtuse! Just think about it; she's first in all classes, with you in second, so you will both be able to have intelligent conversations. She's a very independent woman who has never drooled after you or your money, which is something you always complain about in other girls. She definitely wouldn't take any of your shit, like when she slapped you in third year, and I really think someone like that would be good for you and in deflating your overly large ego. There is obviously some sexual tension between you two; you can literal feel it in the air whenever you two are in the same room. And lastly, I don't know if you noticed, but when she's not covering up in that oversized cloak, she is fucking hot."

Draco was going to make a comment on his obvious brain damage if he thought there was actually any 'sexual tension' between himself and Granger. But when Blaise mentioned the fact that he noticed that she was hot he couldn't stop the growl that came from between his clenched teeth. "You are never to look at her like that ever again, understood." He was now a towering figure over Blaise, whose eyes had widened in shock, his fists clenched tightly by his side in his anger. The Veela side had taken over, and with it the possession and jealousy over his mate.

Blaise held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Draco, for fucks sake, just calm the fucking hell down. You know I don't like Hermione that way, we're somewhat friends and that is all. She's all yours and I swear I would never go after her like that. Take some deep breaths and get a fucking hold on yourself mate."

As Blaise declared his lack of attraction for_ his_ girl, Draco visibly relaxed before completely reining control over himself again. He stood there with his hands now limply hanging by his sides and a look of incredibility on his face. What was happening to him? He slowly sat down and placed his head into his shaky hands as he rested his elbows on his knees. "What the hell was that?" He said out loud, his voice slightly shaking as well.

Blaise let out the breath he was holding in relief that he wasn't going to get pummeled by the blond and released a small breathy laugh. "I have no fucking idea, but remind me never to mention anything about Hermione's looks to you again. Actually, just remind me to steer clear of her all together. You are one scary fucker when you want to be."

Draco looked over to him without raising his head, a look of sadness on his face. "Is this how it's going to be from now on? I mean a mere mention of you finding her hot and I nearly rip your head off! What's going to happen if I happen to see her hugging one of her goons? Or worse, what if someone starts flirting with her? Blaise, I don't even like the girl, and already I'm willing to beat my best friend over her!" He was working himself into a panicked frenzy by now; his eyes were wide, his face was flushed and he sounded as if he would cry at any moment. "What am I going to do? How am I possibly going to survive this year when the only girl I need, is the only one I never want. Not to mention that she hates my very core. Which brings me back to an earlier point; you do realize that if I told her she'd reject me at once and happily watch me die?" His face fell into one of complete desolation. There really was no way he would live to see the next year.

Blaise felt a deep pity for the cards the fates had dealt his friend, but he'd be damned if he let him just give up so soon. Quickly deciding the best way to get him moving was a kick in the ass and a plan of action, Blaise's face became one of determination. "Draco, stop with the fucking bitching and get over yourself." Sure, he could have been understanding and sympathetic, but he knew Draco, and coddling was the last thing he needed. "Yes, your mate hates you, and yes, you're not too fond of her ether. But get this straight, she is your mate, and no matter how much you try to fight it, you're going to end up adoring the very dirt she walks on, if my research is anything to go by. You still have practically an entire year to win her over, and with my help, she will fall in love with you, or at least like you enough to be with you and let you live. Before classes start, you are going to go to Dumbledore, get his permission to go home for the day, and have your parents explain to you everything they know and see if they have a way to control your jealous and possessive outbursts. Then you are going to find me and we are going to start on operation save your scrawny pale arse. Got it?"

Draco just stared skeptically at his friend and nodded dumbly. They had a long year ahead of them if they were going to reverse the damage six years had done.

"And besides," Blaise added thoughtfully, "Hermione has the biggest heart I've ever seen. She'd never let even you die if she was able to stop it. Although just in case, we should probably get you on her good side before letting her in on everything."

The two sat there for another couple of hours, discussing what questions Draco should ask his parents and how he should start getting Hermione to like him, and in the process start to like her as well. He knew he couldn't live without her, but every non-veela bone in his body was still screaming bloody murder at Granger. They finally decided on a slow and steady approach, so as not to scare her away and then settled into a much more comfortable debate on the latest Quidditch match.

.~***~.

Draco found himself slowly walking up the narrow spiral stair case that lead to the Head Master's office. He had just left Blaise at the room of requirement and was now planning on going home for the day to get some things cleared up with his parents.

Reaching the top he found himself staring at large double doors, carved with the intricate design of a phoenix taking flight. Raising his hand to knock, he was startled to hear the voice of Professor Dumbledore just before hitting the wood. "Come in Mr. Malfoy." Seriously, how did the old coot know everything?

The doors opened and Draco quickly stepped inside. He had never been in here before but it was definitely not what he expected a Head Master's office to look like. The entire room seemed to be covered in odd assortments of instruments that whirled and buzzed and spun and changed colors. Turning his gaze to the centre of the room he noticed that the Professor was sitting behind a large oak desk, cluttered with papers, and that there was a chair seated directly in front of it which Dumbledore proceeded to gesture to whilst saying "Please, have a seat young Mr. Malfoy. Lemon Drop?"

Draco declined the candy but took the offered seat. "Head Master, I was wondering if I would be able to take the day off to visit home. There are a few matters I need to discuss with my parents and it would be best to do so face to face in lieu to owl."

Draco noticed Dumbledore's eyes twinkling as he replied. "Of course you may, I am assuming this is to do with your Veela mate?" He chuckled as Draco's mouth began to open and close, making him look like a fish out of water. "No worry, your father has explained the whole situation to me. I must say, I had rather thought you would have figured it all out the first night, what with the two of you sharing a dorm and everything. Alas, the mind has its ways of concealing our hearts desires when it is the very thing that we have convinced ourselves we do not want. You may use my fireplace to floo to the mansion if you wish."

Draco nodded and thanked the man before standing up and walking across the room to the fire place. He took some floo powder from the pot on the mantle and stepped inside before throwing the powder down and stating 'Malfoy Manor' in a clear voice as green flames engulfed him. He felt himself spinning for a few moments before landing gracefully into the floo room of his home. Instantly Gippy the house elf was there to greet him.

"Oh young Master Malfoy sir, Gippy is thinking you's being at school sir. Can Gippy get young Master anything?" The little elf said as he quickly set about dusting the soot off of Draco's clothes.

"Just tell me the location of my father." Draco demanded.

"Yes sirs, Master Malfoy be having breakfast with the Missus sir. Is that alls you be needin' Gippy for sir?" He bowed lowly as he said so, holding himself in that position until he was dismissed.

"Yes, yes. That will be all for now." He waved a hand in the air before reaching the door to the dinning room and entering unannounced. He saw that his parents were on the other side of the large table, his father sitting in the head seat whilst his mother sat to his right. They both looked up from their meal as they heard the door open and he could see the looks of comprehension they gave each other.

"We should probably take this to my study." Lucius stated. Draco merely nodded at his father before turning on his heels and stalking towards the requested room. He wasn't really angry at them, just extraordinarily confused. Draco's parents followed behind him and as soon as they had all taken a seat by the fire Draco asked the question that had been on his mind since receiving the letter yesterday morning:

"How did you both know?"

Lucius and Narcissa shared a look before coming to the silent conclusion that the former would do most of the talking. "Well son, you know that myself and your mother secretly switched sides in the war during your fourth year?"

Draco groaned, was it ever possible for his father to give him a straight answer without going into a completely different topic altogether?

"Trust me, this is somewhat relevant." As Draco nodded in conformation that he did in fact know. "Well, the reason for that son was because we discovered, or at least very strongly suspected who your mate was. It is Granger isn't it?" Once more Draco confirmed. "Yes, well it really started when you met her in first year. Your letters were always mentioning 'the bushy haired know-it-all' who bet you in every class, then in second year you practically dragged me into that book store just so you could torment her and her friends. Don't even get me started on how often I heard the name Granger come from your mouth after she punched you in third year, and we finally had no choice but to acknowledge the fact that she was more then likely your mate when you came home for Christmas after the Yule Ball going on about strangling Krum and not knowing what the 'pretty mudblood' saw in him. So you see, our choices were to ether continue to hold on to our prejudices and lose you in the process, or switch sides and ultimately our views to keep our family safe. We, of course chose self preservation, like any respectable Malfoy would, and came to the conclusion that if in order to save your life, we would have to _taint_ the Malfoy line, then so be it."

The way he said taint made Draco see red. It sounded like he was insulting Hermione, and he would have none of that. He quickly stood up, his face darkening as his muscles clenched and he shook with anger. Once again, he was not in control of his actions. "Don't you ever insult her like that. She is not dirt that will, as you so eloquently put it, _'taint'_ our family line, and if you were half as pure as she was than I wouldn't have been raised to hate her so blatantly and I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in now!" If he thought about it, it really was the teachings his father had enforced on him that had him in the situation where his mate hated him with every fiber of her being.

His father's face changed from the cool mask he usually kept to one of confusion, then understanding, before finally resting on… fear? Indeed, the Lucius Malfoy was at that moment afraid of the actions of his own son. There were not many things in this world scarier than an angry Veela, and Lucius knew that they were extremely powerful creatures; he would not stand a chance.

Narcissa looked on in fright before beginning to plead with her son. "Please don't hurt him Draco! I'm positive he didn't mean it the way it sounded. Hermione is the smartest and most talented witch of her generation and she will be welcomed into this family with open arms. Please calm down son."

For the second time that day Draco found himself taking deep breaths to regain control. Once he did he sank back down in his chair and looked to his father, who was just regaining his own composure. "I'm sorry for that father. I'm finding it rather hard to control my temper when it comes to this girl."

Lucius gave him a shaky smile. "Yes, I'm afraid that you will have difficulty with that until she takes the first step and openly accepts you. Your feelings of protectiveness and jealousy are being fuelled by your insecurities of her possible rejection and unfortunately there is nothing we can do for it. You're just going to have to try and control yourself and hope she will accept you soon."

Silence greeted his statement as everyone took the time to recover from the previous incident.

Lucius finally broke the silence. "Was there anything else you needed son?"

Draco shook his head. He did have a few more but they weren't of much importance and could be voiced at a later date. "No, I think I'll just be heading back to the school." Saying quick good-byes to his parents, Draco practically ran out of the room and to the floo room. First he almost attacks his best friend, and now his own father? Things were going from bad to worse in a hurry.

.~***~.

Flooing back to Dumbledore's office, and finding it empty, he hurriedly made his way out, through the corridors, and finally onto the grounds where he found a nice rock to sit on by the lake. He didn't know how long he sat there, but he guessed it must have been a few hours as the sun had just about set. He had missed all three meals that day and now he had patrolling to do. On the bright side, at least he'd be alone for a few hours. Or so he thought.

Reaching his common room, he was surprised to see that Hermione (he had decided the first step to take was using her first name) was waiting for him on one of the couches. He stopped and just stared at her. This was the first time he had seen her since he had admitted to himself that she was his mate, and he didn't know how he was supposed to feel, or react. She stood and walked over to him, that's when he noticed she was holding a piece of paper. She stopped a few feet away from him and held it out.

"It's from Dumbledore. He doesn't like the idea of us patrolling by ourselves, so it looks like we're stuck with each other for the next four hours." She crinkled her nose in disdain and walked out of the portrait, obviously expecting him to follow.

Four hours, alone with Hermione, in the dark corridors of Hogwarts, just the two of them.

This was going to be interesting to say the least.

* * *

Sorry it's a tad short, but I'm leaving it at that little cliffy there. Not too bad of one though. So Draco's starting to get defensive and protective now, and Hermione doesn't even know he's starting to feel differently towards her. Well actually, he still kinda dislikes her, but he's coming around now! Oh, and just to get you excited for Tuesday's update, you'll soon find that a lot can happen in four hours ;]  
Love to hear your thoughts on this! What did you like? What would you like to have been different? And don't forget suggestions for a new fic! I'm just dying to start a new one, and although I have a ton of ideas, I wanted to write a fan choice one!

Love's in the air,  
~Ingenuity15


	7. Chapter 7

I don't even think I can begin to describe how sorry I am for not updating. My parents thought it would be a lovely idea to rewire our house over the holidays, so I've been without power for over a week! I sincerely apologize for the huge delay in posting, but I now have electricity and plan on continuing with my original plan of the four updates promised!  
Also, I think I'm going to be writing a couple of one-shots that have been going through my mind for a while now… Not sure as of yet, but check back just in case!

~Ingenuity15

Avalonhighgirl: So sorry to hear about your chem, but I'm glad my update made your day better :] Hope you enjoy this one as well and thank you for your lovely reviews!

Snapes-star: I'm sorry to have left it at an evil cliffy for you but I hope the wait for today's update wasn't too bad. And I have to agree with you, I find jealous Draco very sexy as well ;] Thanks for sticking to the story, hope it was well worth the wait! You're probably going to kill me for the way I end this chapter haha.

Big thanks to everyone who reviewed and/or added this to their favorites/alerts!

* * *

_Four hours, alone with Hermione, in the dark corridors of Hogwarts, just the two of them._

_This was going to be interesting to say the least._

Draco was frozen in place. This was not good, not in the slightest. Anything could go wrong, although more than likely everything would. Silently panicking, Draco began to wonder if he shouldn't just fake ill and save himself the torture that would be the next four hours. Before he could put much thought into it however, Hermione's head poked back in through the portrait.

"Malfoy, I don't like this anymore than you do, but there is no way in hell you are getting out of it." And she was gone again, more than likely standing in the hall with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. With a resigned sigh, Draco made his way out of the common room, and sure enough, there was Hermione with impatience and disapproval stamped across her face.

She turned on her heels when she saw he was coming and, not even making sure he followed her, Hermione swiftly made her way along the corridor. Blinking twice to clear his head, Draco noticed that she was already turning the corner at the end. Even with his longer legs, he still had to jog to catch up.

"Slow down Granger, this isn't a bloody marathon." Draco grumbled while trying to simultaneously keep up and catch his breath.

"And here I thought Quidditch players were supposed to be in shape. Eat too many chocolate frogs over the summer? Aw yes," She gave his abdomen a quick glance, "Looks like _someone's_ gotten a little pudgy." Draco gave a snort of disbelief and stopped in place. He was not getting… _fat!_

Hermione wanted to laugh out loud at the look of indignation on his face, but settled for a smirk of her own as she turned to face him. Truth was, there was not an ounce of fat on him, and the only thing on his stomach that she could see was the well defined muscles outlined by his school shirt. Ignoring those, she decided to goad him on a bit more, she had the upper hand and she wasn't willing to lose it.

"What is it Malfoy? Shocked that you might not be perfect?" Hermione said, as she took a defensive stance; arms crossed in front of her chest, and leaning her hip onto her right leg.

Malfoy was startled for a moment by the way her crossed arms pushed up her chest and was almost taken over by his Veela instinct to just throw her against the wall and snog her senseless.

Hermione just stood there and watched him with a look of curiosity. Normally, he would have returned her remarks with a snarky one of his own, but as she looked at him now she knew something was different with him. He was standing as he had been before, with his feet a little apart and his hands balled to fists at his sides, but the look on his face was one she had never seen before. His eyes were darkening; his face lined with a look that suggested an internal battle and his breath was coming in heavy pants. She sighed loudly, now was not the time to take apart the puzzle that was Malfoy, and, deciding she wasn't going to get the desired reaction from him, she took to walking down the corridor once more.

Looking over her shoulder she called back to him. "Malfoy, do us both a favor and pull yourself together. We still have to patrol for the next three and a half hours, and unfortunately we have to do it together. Now hurry and do try and keep up."

Once again she rounded the corner before Draco could even register what was happening. He hurried along at a brisk walk until he was once again walking to the side of her, he was still panting from his earlier episode and each time he breathed in, he was assaulted by her scent. Being this close to her and not being able to touch her was driving him insane, and even though he wanted to hate her, to feel only disgust for her, he was finding it harder and harder not to notice how the things about her that used to annoy him were now making him smile. He tried to ignore her, instead concentrating on searching the halls for straying students, but soon found it impossible and gave in to the temptation to look at her. Why was it that every time he saw her, she seemed more beautiful? She bit her lower lip, a habit she had when she was nervous or in deep thought. Draco silently groaned as he imagined it was his teeth nibbling on her lips.

_That's it_, he mentally declared to himself, _I officially hate my Veela side. Granger and beautiful should not be used in the same sentence, let alone by me. I should not want to kiss her or hold her or anything else my crazy side has decided I want. Not to mention she hates me and will never want anything to do with me. What the hell, I can't get any lower in her books and it's not like I can do anything about this. May as well turn on the charm and see if I can make something out of these next three hours._

After coming to that conclusion he decided to start off with nice small talk and move up to intense flirting from there. "So Granger, how did you find that problem in Arithmancy today? I found the diagram to be rather complicated to create myself." That was good; school work was definitely a safe topic.

Hermione stared at him open mouthed. Why in the name of Merlin was Draco Malfoy trying to make small talk with her? Seeing him smirk at her expression, Hermione decided this was a new game he had come up with to try and fluster her. Well two can play at that. "Since you asked, I found the concept of calculating the strength of a spell rather intriguing, and if you pull the diagram into parts, you'll find it's just a mixture of elements we've been learning since third year."

Draco threw on his most charming smile and Hermione nearly had a heart attack.

_Why is Malfoy smiling?_ She thought,_ I didn't even know that was possible! Although he does look really good like that... Stop it; Malfoy does not look good, ever. Okay, maybe he is hot, but that doesn't change the fact that he's a ferret._

Draco could see the emotions flash across her face. Confusion, wonderment, and was that... attraction? Growing more confident at that thought, Draco moved even closer to her so that their arms slightly brushed as they walked down the corridor, checking the alcoves and empty classrooms for wayward students. He looked at her face so he could see her reaction as he said in his most seductive voice, "You know, a woman with intelligence is always a turn on."

Hermione's face went blank; was he trying to... _flirt with her?_ It seemed impossible, so she figured it was another one of his attempts to throw her off. If he wanted to play, so could she.

Draco's breath caught as Hermione turned to him with a coy smile. They had stopped walking now and Hermione stood in front of him, so close he could have bent his head down a few inches and captured her lips with his own...

"And I find an intelligent man has _much_ appeal." Hermione didn't know where this was coming from. She wasn't a seductress, she was Hermione Granger! Bookworm extraordinaire and virgin princess of Gryffindor. She should not be able to stand in this dark secluded hallway, with the sex god of Slytherin mind you, and flirt with him like it was an everyday occurrence. It was far from normal, but the look in his eyes, the deep look of desire, was tempting her to play with fire, and that's what she would do.

Hermione was playing with his tie in one hand as the other walked up his chest. "You know something Malfoy; I have a favor to ask of you." Draco gulped. It was the only thing he could do, considering it was taking all his control to keep his Veela side at bay. "I'm looking for a big, strong, intellectual man..." The sweat was building up on Draco's forehead as Hermione got on her tiptoes and with her lips at his ear whispered to him. "If you find one, let him know I'm looking."

And with that she was once more walking away from him, hips swaying slightly as she went. Why did she always have to walk away from him?

Hermione was on high as she thought of the look on Malfoy's face. It wasn't the first time she had gotten the better of him, but to beat him at his own game and leave him speechless? Hermione was thinking this whole patrol thing wasn't as bad as she thought it was going to be.

Draco was left stunned, mouth gapping as he tried to form a response that was not there. She had... and than she... When had she become such a spitfire? He knew she was passionate, all the fights they had proved that, but since when was she able to do that? Just turn him on completely with a few words, and than leave him. It was not acceptable. He found that her confidence was another thing he could learn to love about her, not that he loved her mind you, but the way things were headed, he was afraid it wouldn't be long until he was writing her sappy poetry and mooning after her like some first year with a crush. Shaking his head of such thoughts, he made his way after her; she wasn't going to be getting away so easily this time.

Lost in the afterglow of her victory, she found it was short lived as she felt a hand close around her wrist and pull her into a hard body. Arms enclosed around her as she felt someone's hot breathe against her ear. "Not so fast Granger, you know it's not nice to tease."

She found her confidence fading fast as she felt his obvious need pushed against her back. "Malfoy, let go of me before I have to report you." Thankfully her voice didn't waver, but it was a little more breathless than she would have liked.

She found herself staring up into his face as she was pushed against the wall, his arms encasing her as he placed them on ether side of her head. She wanted to struggle, her mind was screaming at her to run, but she found she just couldn't.

Draco had completely lost control when he had grabbed her wrist and felt those bolts of electricity shoot through him. He had meant only to do what she had done to him, get her all flustered and than leave, but as soon as he had pulled her against him, he no longer had a say, he needed to have her; to hold her and feel her flush to him, but mostly, he wanted to kiss her, more than he had wanted anything in his life.

Throwing caution to the wind, he had pushed her to the wall where he now held her with his body, arms locking her in, chest pressed against hers. He could feel as her heart rate picked up, could feel her chest fluttering as her breathing became mere pants and could see the blush that tinged her cheeks a delicious color red. He wanted her so badly, but he couldn't bear to have her regret it later. So he gave her a choice. Looking into her eyes, which were dark with desire, he whispered words to her. "Granger, if you don't tell me to stop, I'm going to kiss you." Ok, so it wasn't really a choice so much as a warning. When she didn't say anything he started to lean in, and just as his lips were about to reach hers, Hermione came to her senses. She ducked out from her place between the wall and a hard place and started to back down the hall. Confusion and a little fear evident on her face; but fear for what, Draco wasn't certain.

"I... I th-think we should finish the rest of our patrolling alone." Hermione stuttered. She was breathing heavily and her face was completely flushed. "I-I'm sure Dumbledore will understand the change of arrangements." With that she fled down the corridor, leaving a much disheveled Draco.

Taking deep breathes, Draco slid against the wall where he sat with his head in his hands, trying to regain some control over himself. He was hurting, no matter who she was or their feelings toward each other, Hermione was his mate and her rejection cut him deeply. Although he hated to admit it, he was starting to care for the bushy haired Head Girl, and now more than ever, he wanted her here.

Thinking over what had happened he knew he should apologize. _Of course you should apologize!_ He berated himself, _That was so stupid! You spend over six years torturing the girl and than all of a sudden you have her pressed up against the wall saying you're going to kiss her? I'm such a fucking idiot! She probably thought I was going to rape her or something. And than there's that lovely reputation I created, the one where I stomp all over girl's hearts and leave them broken. Idiot, idiot, idiot! Ok, you're going to get off your ass, find her, and explain everything to her._

Draco stood and started down the hall to where Hermione had disappeared, finding it led to three different corridors. _Great... and how am I supposed to find her now? There are too many scents to track hers, and it's not like I have the slightest idea of where I am._ Picking a random hallway, Draco continued to mentally curse himself and his lack of control.

_You could have done this the proper way; been nice to her for a while, worked yourself up to at least a truce before you told her, but noooo, had to go and pin her to the bloody wall! Now she has to know and she probably won't believe a word of it. Great job!_

Heading towards the dungeons, a quick chat with Blaise was what he needed, Draco was hit with pain so intense he doubled over as tears started to form in his eyes. Thinking someone might be attacking him; Draco took out his wand and jumped to stand behind a suit of armor. He cautiously took in his surroundings before getting hit with the pain again, only he realized something, something that terrified him. It wasn't his own pain he was feeling... It was Hermione's.

Draco didn't know what happened next, all he knew was that he was tearing through the halls at lightening speed, not really knowing where he was going but following his senses. He had to reach Hermione; he had to make sure she was safe.

He turned a corner and found himself seeing red as he took in the sight. There was Hermione, unconscious on the floor, a broken vase around her and blood seeping from a wound to her head. Standing over her was Pansy Parkinson, who was viciously kicking her stomach. "Take that you stupid little Mudblood."

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" Draco roared at her.

Pansy, who was just about to kick Hermione again, almost lost her balance as she started. "Oh it's just you Draky-poo. I'm just having a little fun with the Mudblood. I heard you talking to Blaise about how she was _so_ annoying and would be the death of you, so I decided to help you out by getting rid of her. It's not like anyone would miss her, and besides, I was following you up in the halls, I know she was trying to seduce you, and I will not have that... floozy after my man!" She pouted than and Draco's lips curled in disgust. How dare she harm his mate!

Before Pansy could even scream, Draco had her against the wall, his hand around her neck as he lifted her off the ground so her feet were dangling. Pansy was making gagging noises and was trying in vain to remove Draco's hand so she could breathe.

"If you ever so much as step in the same room as Hermione again, I will make you regret it." His voice was low and menacing. "If you ever try to so much as touch a hair on her head I won't hesitate to rip you limb from limb."

Pansy was now turning blue from lack of oxygen, but Draco couldn't really care less. This anger he felt was stronger than anything he had felt before. Not only was it directed at the one who had hurt his mate, but also at himself for not being with her to stop it. He felt a hand on his shoulder, someone was speaking to him but he couldn't hear what they were saying, too intent on choking the life out of Pansy. But one word made it through his haze and he dropped Pansy's unconscious body to the ground. _Hermione_.

He rushed to her side and started to feel her for injuries. A low growl escaped his lips as he found the cut on the back of her head which was still bleeding, two broken ribs, and a broken wrist, not to mention dozens of cuts and bruises. He felt a hand reach out to his shoulder and turned to lash out at whoever it was, finding a somber looking Blaise. "She needs to go to Madame Pomfrey Draco. I'll go get Dumbledore..." He had said something else, but by that time Draco had already carefully scooped Hermione into his arms and was running up flights of stairs to the hospital wing where he kicked open the doors and proceeded to lay Hermione in a bed.

He saw Madame Pomfrey scurrying out of her office, already dressed in her night clothes. "My dear boy, what happened? Never mind, she needs attention right away. You may leave now."

"I'm not leaving." Draco said, in a cold and deadly voice.

The old medi-witch looked at him, startled by his hostility, but deciding it would just waste precious time to argue she merely said, "Very well, but don't get in the way."

As she set to work on healing Hermione's wounds, binding her broken bones and administering numerous healing potions, Draco just sat by the side of the bed. Holding Hermione's uninjured hand and thinking of all the ways he would slowly kill Pansy Parkinson.

He was brought out of his morbid day dreams by the sudden arrival of Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall who were followed by Blaise Zabini, carrying a still unconscious Pansy, with a look of disgust on his face.

Draco let out a growl and stood up, "Get her the hell out of here if you don't want me to mangle her body." Professor McGonagall looked horrified at the thought, but Dumbledore merely nodded his head.

"Poppy, place Miss Parkinson in one of the private rooms in the back, and whatever you do, don't let her leave until I've had a chance to talk with her. Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Zabini, if you two would be kind enough to follow me to my office. Minerva, you may stay and help Poppy if you wish." The look he shot Draco showed that this wasn't up for discussion, so with one last look at Hermione, and a glare sent in the direction of the room Madame Pomfrey had just taken Pansy, Draco dragged himself away, and followed in silence beside Blaise as they walked towards Dumbledore's office.

.~***~.

It wasn't a long walk, but it seemed hours before they reached the Gargoyles and Dumbledore gave them his password (twizzlers). The three climbed the spiral stairs and soon found themselves comfortably seated with Dumbledore behind his desk and the two Slytherins in front with matching cushiony armchairs. "Lemon drop?" Blaise kindly refused while Draco remained glaring at a space on the opposite wall. "Very well. Blaise, perhaps you might start."

Blaise sat up a bit straighter before he began. "I was sitting in the common room when I heard Pansy talking about a plan to help 'the love of her life' be rid of the 'Mudblood', her words, not mine," He clarified at the seething look on Draco's face, "Anyways, I was pretty sure of who she meant, so I followed her as she snuck out that night thinking to stop her if she tried anything and unfortunately a run in with Peeves made me lose her. I was just about to give up and find Draco to let him know when I turned a corner and saw Hermione lying in a small puddle of blood and Draco holding Pansy by her throat to the wall." He quickly hurried on, "But it wasn't his fault! I did some reading on Veela once he told me and all the books say that when someone threatens their mate they will do anything they can to... remove the threat. As it were, the moment I mentioned Hermione's name, he dropped Pansy and brought Hermione straight to the hospital wing."

Dumbledore looked from Blaise over to Draco, "Can you tell me what happened before this Mr. Malfoy? I thought I had left instructions for you and Miss Granger to Patrol together. Where were you when it first took place?"

Draco sighed and looked up; there was a sadness in his eyes that could not be explained. "We did patrol together, but I'm afraid at some point I may have come on a bit too strongly and she ran off. By the time I had collected myself enough to go after her, she was long gone. I decided my best bet was to go to the dungeons and get help from Blaise, but I was stopped by a sudden pain, and realized it was Hermione. I don't know how, but soon I was in the corridor watching as Pansy kicked Hermione repeatedly in the stomach," He took a deep breath to control the anger that threatened to over whelm him again. "She said she was doing it to rid me of my annoyances and because 'no one goes after her man'. Next thing I know, I have her against the wall, and you know the rest from there."

Dumbledore sighed, at that moment he really did look his age. "Mr. Malfoy, although I cannot under any circumstance condone harming another student, your case is special, and as I do know from contacts of mine, the impossibility of controlling yourself at times, you will not be punished for this." Draco should have been relieved but he could feel there was going to be more. "Miss Parkinson, of course will be spoken to and more than likely receive a few months detention, however," This is what Draco had been expecting, "Miss Granger will have to be informed immediately of everything." Draco sighed. He was already planning on doing that, only...

"Headmaster," Draco started, "You do realize she'll never believe me if I tell her?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Would it help you if I came to verify the story? Actually, as it stands, maybe I should be the one to tell her. She will be in a fragile condition for a while after tonight, and it might be better if she can wrap her head around it while she rests. I know this will be hard for you, but I'm asking you not to visit her, let her come to you when she's ready."

Draco shook his head. "Fine. But promise me you'll tell her that this is just as hard on me as well. It's not easy going from hating someone to having them be the center of your world."

Dumbledore looked at him with a small smile and the twinkle back in his eye, "I will make sure to do so, Mr. Malfoy."

.~***~.

Hermione couldn't remember what happened. She had been walking down the corridor when all of a sudden she felt pain split through her head and heard a distant crash. After that, everything had been black, she couldn't see or hear anything and she was starting to panic; what was going on?

Then she saw it; a tiny light that was getting bigger and bigger, only it wasn't a light, it was a man. As he got closer she was able to take in the details of his appearance. The platinum blond hair, the angular features, and the grey eyes that looked like trapped storms. She gasped as she recognized him:

_Draco Malfoy._

She was surprised when he smiled at her, that same charming smile he had given her in the hall, and reached out his hand to her. She gingerly reached out her own and clasped his hand. She felt bolts of electricity run through her and was startled when he spoke to her, _"You are mine, as I will always be yours"._ The words made no sense to her but she longed to hear more, longed to stay wrapped up in his arms. But too soon, he was pulling away, taking the light with him and leaving her in the darkness once again.

_"Don't leave me,"_ She whispered too late.

.~***~.

Hermione jolted into awareness as she tried to remember her dream. _'You are mine as I am always yours'_? What was that supposed to mean?

She sat up and realized she was not alone; sitting in the seat next to her was Professor Dumbledore. "Ah, Miss Granger, so happy to see you up!"

Hermione looked at him confused. It was then that she realized she wasn't lying in her dorm room, but was, in actuality, in the hospital wing. "Professor, what happened?"

"Well you see Miss Granger, it would seem you have made yourself quite the enemy in Miss Parkinson." He said solemnly.

"Parkinson did something to me? I know we don't get along but I didn't think it was enough to warrant an attack on me. Did she say why?" Hermione said in a huff. Now that she was fully awake she could feel the soreness in her ribs and wrist as well as a dull throb in the back of her head.

"Well, she seemed to think there was something going on between you and Mr. Malfoy, actually." He replied.

"Something between myself and the ferret?" she said incredulously. "I'd rather give up my wand than have that happen." She noticed as a sad look overcame Dumbledore. "What is it Professor? Is something wrong?"

"I'm afraid, Miss Granger, that there is something I must tell you, and by the sounds of it, you're not going to like it much"...

* * *

Next up; Hermione finds out! I know a lot of you have been waiting for this and now it's finally come!  
Once again, I am really sorry for keeping you all waiting, but blame the parents for taking away my electricity! I'll more than likely be updating tomorrow, if I can get away from family for a little while to get at my computer.  
Leave your thoughts, critiques, just review please. Call it your Christmas prezzy to me :]

Love and Happy Holidays,  
~Ingenuity15


	8. Chapter 8

So again, I know I'm being horrible with updating, but after reading this story over, I realized a lot of it was complete garbage and there were way too many loose ends. I was contemplating just writing one last chapter and leaving it, but I think there would be a few angry readers out there if I did, so I'm just going to have to rewrite the whole thing *sigh*. Any who, I'm having midterms now, so updates will be a bit spaced until they're done (next week), but I will try and write as fast as I can!

~Ingenuity15

claudsthekiwi: No worries, lots of Blaise Zabini to come! haha

Avalonhighgirl: I love your enthusiasm for my fic! Your reviews never fail to make me laugh, so thank you for that.

**Important Note!**  
Well it may not be important to some, but others may love it. Anyways, I was thinking that I was really stupid before about not posting more than one story at once, and since I'm rewriting NSPA I thought you might enjoy other stories to read as you wait for updates. Also going to be posting a few one shots that have been in my head lately...  
Options are on my profile, but if you're too lazy to do that here they are...  
Blaise/Hermione/Draco  
Draco/Hermione Marriage law  
Draco/Hermione where Hermione has his child and he finds out a few years later.  
I'm also working on A Blaise/Hermione marriage law, and one that I hope, if done correctly, will be very unique, but everyone would still be in character.  
But if you choose one of the last two, updates may be spaced out a bit.  
Up to you whether I post another now or not though, so let me know!

* * *

_"I'm afraid, Miss Granger, that there is something I must tell you, and by the sounds of it, you're not going to like it much"..._

Hermione looked over to Dumbledore and saw that his face was completely serious and the usual sparkle in his eyes was a mere flicker. She didn't like it; and she knew she wouldn't want to hear what he had to say next, but she kept quiet, hoping that he was just over reacting to something.

Dumbledore pondered for a moment; what exactly is the best way to tell someone that their future was to be with the one person they hated most? Deciding to start with a simple question, he figured he might as well see what she knew on the subject.

"Miss Granger, what do you know of Veela?"

Hermione didn't even spare a thought to the question as her first reaction was to start spurting out the facts, "Veela are very powerful magical creatures, all female, and very secretive. No one knows how they are born, but we do know that they have 'mates' who are essentially their soul mates in every way. Their off-spring is known as part-veela and although the gene remains dormant in most, occasionally one of them will posses the Veela traits. These part-veelas can be male or female and are known to be beautiful to most, but once they come of age and discover their mate, they become possessive and often over-protective. They are connected to their mate in such a way that if anything were to happen to said mate, they would die of heartbreak, same if they were to be rejected or if the 'bonding' did not take place before their eighteenth birthday."

She took a deep breath before registering everything she had said. _Why is Dumbledore asking me about Veela?_ She thought _What possible reason could he have for wanting to know what I knew about Veela?_ A million possibilities ran through her mind, the last more ludicrous then the previous.

Sensing that her mind had started to race a million miles a second, Dumbledore decided to put her out of her slight panic and just tell her. Directness was always good right?

"Miss Granger, the reason I asked you was because Draco Malfoy is part-veela, with all the traits, and you are his mate."

Silence. Not a comfortable one, nor even an awkward one. This silence was one of pure shock, one that only comes when faced with information that changes and challenges everything you once knew and thought. Hermione Granger was, for once, at a loss for words; her mind however would not shut up.

_WHAT THE HELL? He's kidding right? He isn't smiling, why isn't he smiling? This can't be serious. I cannot be the mate of Malfoy! I refuse to believe this. This isn't happening, it's not, it's not. I just misheard him. Of course I did. He must have said 'Draco Malfoy is part-veela and you are_ to help him find_ his mate. Yes that's it! Sweet Merlin that argument even sounds week in my own head. Shit! I'm too young to be attached to someone for the rest of my life, I wanted a career, not to be bound to Draco 'the bouncing ferret' Malfoy. For the love of Merlin, what is the universe trying to pull? I am not Malfoy's 'soul mate'; we can barely stand each other! He even called me a Mudblood just the other day... Although he did look sorry about it... No, no, no! Not happening, this is not happening..._

Professor Dumbledore just watched as the emotions flickered across her face, confusion, disbelief, disgust, anger, back to disbelief. She was taking it far better than expected, at least she hadn't fainted.

She was shaking her head now, trying to clear her mind from its current thoughts and remain in the present. "You must be kidding Professor. There is no way that _I_ am the mate of Malfoy. We can't stand each other! And besides, who's to say he even really is part-veela? This could all just be another one of his Slytherin schemes to make me look like an idiot." She nodded her head once, as if confirming her suspicions to be accurate.

"Do you think he would be able to fool me with such claims miss Granger, if he were indeed making them up?" Dumbledore said, smiling a little as the confident expression left her face to leave a shocked one.

"Of course not Professor Dumbledore, I never meant to insinuate that, but there must be something you're missing because I am telling you, this is in no way possible."

"Ah Miss Granger, you're letting your personal feelings get in the way of your logical thinking. Are you saying that you have not seen any change in Mr. Malfoy that may confirm his claims; haven't noticed anything different about him and his attitude towards you at all?" Dumbledore replied.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but closed it almost immediately as memories popped into her mind; How his appearance had changed over the summer, how he seemed to be in pain when she was openly friendly with Blaise on the train, the hurt in his eyes when he had called her Mudblood, the night he had grabbed her arm and began to panic, how he had tried to be civil on their patrolling, how he had pressed her up against the wall almost possessively and had almost kissed her; Her dream...

And then she began to cry, because her logical mind couldn't deny the evidence that was staring her in the face, and her trust in Dumbledore could only confirm it all. If it had been Malfoy who had of told her, she could have easily believed he was lying, but she knew the Headmaster would not do such a thing, and she had to face the truth; she was bound to Draco Malfoy, there was no getting out of it, and her only other option was to be responsible for his death. Even though she despised the boy, she would not be able to live with herself if she practically murdered him. So she cried.

Dumbledore stood as the tears tracked down her face and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I have told him to let you grow accustomed to the idea before approaching you, but he's not exactly the most obedient or patient student we have here. And he's been very worried ever since he brought you to Madam Pomfrey, so I would probably expect him to sneak in sometime tonight." He said with a small grin, the twinkle having returned to his eyes.

Hermione looked to him with confusion, "Malfoy brought me here?"

Dumbledore smiled again, "Oh yes, took quite an effort to get him away to, had to give him my very strictest look; and that takes effort you know." He chuckled at himself. "Yes, if it had not been for Mr. Zabini rounding the corner when he did, I dare say Miss Parkinson would have been in worse condition than we had found her, although, thanks to Mr. Malfoy, I dare say you won't have to worry about anymore surprise attacks, or walking alone for that matter."

Hermione watched in shock as the Headmaster walked out of the hospital wing. The past fifteen minutes had been nothing but shock for her and it was slowly taking its toll on her still recovering body. Madam Pomfrey chose that minute to walk out of her office to find her tear stained face withdrawn and exhausted.

"My dear, what have you been doing? You shouldn't be putting yourself under any stress until you are fully recovered; you lost a lot of blood and received a concussion!" She prattled on about the dangers of stressing one self, and patients not being capable of following directions as she rooted amongst a variety of bottled potions, finally pulling one out and walking over to Hermione. "Now open up dear, this will help you sleep." She practically shoved the 'Dreamless Sleep' potion down Hermione's throat before watching the girls eyes slowly shut as her breathing evened out...

.~***~.

Draco was going crazy. It was reaching midnight and it had been over twenty-four hours since he had last seen Hermione. Professor Dumbledore had stopped by and told them she had awoken, she knew, and now she was just taking some time to accept it, but Draco couldn't stand it. He had felt her confusion and pain when she had been speaking to Dumbledore, and he knew she was now sleeping and would be one-hundred percent healed in a few days, but he wanted, no _needed_, to see her for himself.

He had been pacing the room, practically making a trench in the floor as he followed the same path over and over. Blaise, who had decided to spend the next few nights on the couch in the heads room, making sure Draco didn't do anything stupid, was reading a book, but quickly shut it and looked at the blond with irritation.

"Fucking sit down already or sneak up to the hospital wing to see her. Your pacing is driving me bloody mad!"

Draco sighed dramatically as he plopped down besides Blaise, "Why did this happen to me Blaise?" He whined, "What the hell did I do to deserve to be bound to someone I hate and who hates me?" He sounded like a spoiled brat; which, admittedly, he was.

Blaise picked up the prophet that had been lying on the table, rolled it up and *Thwack*

"What the bloody hell was that for?" Draco rubbed the back of his head as he glared at the scowling Italian.

"Draco, I'm your best mate here, but you really need to get over yourself. We've gone through this before; you guys obviously are compatible since she is your 'soul mate' and such. We've gone over the traits that make it such, and to be honest, I don't think you hate her. In fact, I'm pretty sure you've been crushing on her since first year when she ignored you completely and proved she was better at you in every subject. She impresses you, admit it." He was grinning now, teasing Draco while at the same time, making him see it wouldn't be bad if he made an effort to get on Hermione's good side.

Draco gaped at him while he tried to deny the accusations, "What the... Not a chance... For the love of Merlin... Have you lost your senses?" Where the only things he was able to come up with.

Blaise laughed and slapped him on the back. "Cheer up; crushing on her is a start. Now you just need to apologize for being a giant ass for almost seven years, get on her good side, show her that there's something to like about you, although I have no idea what that is, and then convince her to bond with you for life before your birthday next August!"

"Yeah, no big right?" Draco gave a sad smile before standing up and stretching. "Well, I'm going to go see her. I don't care what the old bat says; I don't have anytime to waste if I want to live, although the alternative isn't all that great." He grimaced before seeing the smirk on Blaise's face, clearly showing his disbelief at the credibility of his last statement. "Will you stop looking at me like that?"

Blaise just broke out into a grin, like he knew what was really going on in Draco's mind, and he continued to stare at him.

Draco tried to ignore him as he went to grab his cloak on the opposite side of the room, but couldn't help but feel his friends infuriating smirk follow him the whole way. He finally spun around to confront him, "What is it Blaise? What the fuck do you want me to say? That I'm starting to like her? That I think she's the most gorgeous creature I've ever seen? That her intelligence turns me on and that every glare she sends my way kills me inside? Is that what you want, for me to admit that maybe, I might just be falling for her, and that's a big maybe, because honestly, I've never spoken to her other then to argue, I don't even know what her favorite color is, or her middle name, or what she does in the summer when she's not at school. Do you know what it's like to feel so strongly for someone you don't even know and have tried to hate for years based on principals that were false anyways?" He was panting now, his fists clenched at his sides.

Blaise whistled lowly. "Wow, you got it bad. Maybe you should tell her this, might make her a bit softer towards you."

Draco sighed again. "What am I going to say to her if she wakes up Blaise? It's not like I've ever had a conversation with her before, one that didn't involve us yelling anyhow, and what if she's decided to reject me?" For the first time, Blaise could see just how vulnerable his friend really was. He stood up and walked towards him before pulling him into a brief hug.

He pulled away and grinned at him, "How the fuck could she reject you? You're not bad looking for a bloke and if you get past the arrogance you're not half bad to talk to. You'll think of something to say when you get there, now go." He shoved him out the portrait hole and into the dark corridor. "I'll cover for you if any of the professors come looking. Oh and by the way, you get the couch tonight, I'm taking the bed." He laughed again as he shut the portrait and Draco was left to make the walk to the hospital wing by himself.

.~***~.

It took no more then five minutes for him to reach the wing and he slowly opened the door, hoping no one would notice the slight creek it made. He closed the door behind him and walked swiftly to Hermione's bed where he pulled the chair closer and just watched her sleep. It was dark in the room, the only source of light coming from the moon which cast its glow through a high window, but with his heightened sense of sight, Draco could make out every detail of the slumbering girl clearly.

_You know, for someone who spends a lot of time yelling at me, she actually looks really peaceful when she sleeps._

He didn't know how long he sat there; thinking over these new things he was feeling, thinking about ways he might get her to at least tolerate him. However, looking at the clock on the wall, he saw it was now four in the morning, he had classes in a few hours so he figured he would try and get some sleep. He stood up and looked down to Hermione who was still sleeping softly, her breathing even. He couldn't help the little smile that crept onto his face when he looked at her. Maybe everything would work out after all. Before he could stop himself, or really understand what he was doing, Draco bent down and gently placed a kiss on her forehead.

Hermione, still under the effects of the dreamless sleep potion did not wake, but her lips curved into a small smile, and a contented sigh left her lips.

_Yup_, Draco thought to himself as he silently left the wing,_ I can definitely see this working out._ He knew it wasn't love yet, and he knew he still had a lot of work in order to earn Hermione's forgiveness. But the idea of spending his life with her no longer seemed like such a bad thing…

* * *

So this is the re-write. I'm really sorry for the wait, but I really hated what I had written before, and the past few weeks have been taken up with studying for exams. This is the first chance I've had to sit down and write. So since I have a few hours of break left, I'll write as much of the next chapter as I can and hopefully finish it for you the weekend.  
Love to hear what you thought of it and again so sorry. Don't forget to tell me what other stories you want me to post!

Sincerest Apologies,

~Ingenuity15


	9. Chapter 9

So here's your update! Exams are finally over and I came out with all 90's (no, I'm not a nerd, I just have really easy courses haha) so I thought I'd celebrate by writing a new chapter! And counting the votes in both poll and reviews, you guys have decided you most want to read a Blaise/Hermione/Draco, and I am halfway through that chapter, so hopefully you will have that soon. There was a four way tie for a second one, so I get to choose which one and surprise you all with it later! I'll also be writing one where they are college roommates, because that seems like it would be a time and a half to write. As always, sorry for the long wait and hope you enjoy!

~Ingenuity15

Brass Camera: It always means a lot to hear someone say they really look forward to reading your stories :]

Snapes-star: Sorry for the wait and glad to hear that you loved the re-write. It was much better than the original and fits in better with where I want to go with it.

RiverRamsden: I'm glad I could introduce you to the world of Veela Draco fics, and I think you should definitely check out some other ones. Although there aren't many out there, a lot of them are amazing.

* * *

Hermione was kept in the hospital wing for the next week so Madame Pomfrey could keep watch on her progress, both physically and mentally after she was attacked. And for some unknown reason, Hermione found herself waking with a smile each morning after a night of strange dreams involving one platinum blond part-veela. She could never remember exactly what happened, she just remembered feelings of safety and love radiating off of him. Some nights, she swore she could feel someone holding her hand, or playing with her hair before sleep called her back within its depths.

Of course, unbeknownst to her, Draco spent each and every night by her bedside; sneaking in around midnight and leaving before dawn. He would just sit in the chair by her bed, holding her hand or stroking the hair off her face, assuring himself that she was safe and healthy. The more time he spent in her presence, even in her unconscious state, the more he realized just how much he was missing by not being with her from the first day he met her. He spent hours recalling old memories, thinking on how brave she was, how smart, how incredibly stubborn and strong, how compassionate and fiery, and now realizing just how beautiful she really was. How could he have not seen it all along?

In that one week of watching over his mate as she slept peacefully, Draco decided he needed to stop fighting the inevitable, to stop fighting the side that knew she was right for him. He decided to let go and see where the fall took him.

.~***~.

The next Friday evening, a week and a bit later, Hermione was finally released from the hospital wing with a clean bill of health and a warning not to stress herself out too much. She sighed happily as she made her way out and turned the corner on her way to her dorm. Harry had brought her her school work everyday when he could get away from Ron, and she felt confident she had kept up in each of her subjects. But as happy as she was, Hermione couldn't help the little flutters of anxiety when she thought of her other problem.

How the hell was she supposed to address Malfoy now that she knew what he was and who she was to him? Was she really supposed to just forget everything he had done to her in the past and '_bond_' with him, tying them together for life? She'd do it, she would never be able to live with herself for letting someone die if it was preventable, but he would have to earn her affection. He could sweat it out for a while; after all, she did have until his next birthday.

Finally reaching the familiar portrait of 'Romeo and Juliet', Hermione quickly said the password, hoping to make it into her room without running into Malfoy and avoiding the foreseeable awkward confrontation. Stepping into the room, Hermione was surprised to hear two voices, and looking over towards the couches, she found Draco and Blaise sitting on one with their backs to her. By the looks of it, Blaise was trying to give Draco a pep-talk. She stepped further into the room so she could hear what they were saying.

"Dude, you just have to be forward and tell her everything you've been telling me this past week; that you're just as afraid of this as she probably is, that you've changed, and for the love of Merlin you had better apologize for being a prick to her all these years." Blaise said.

"I know Blaise, and I will, believe me, I will do the unthinkable and beg for her forgiveness if I have to. Do you see what she is doing to me? What this whole Veela thing is doing to me? I am willing to drop to my knees and grovel, _grovel _Blaise! This whole thing is fucking screwed up. But honestly, I couldn't care less now, I'm falling Blaise, I can feel it. But it's too fucking soon! And she still hates me! What am I supposed to do now? She gets out of the hospital wing soon, and she knows, but what am I supposed to say or do when I finally see her? She knows now, but what if she ignores me? What if she _rejects_ me Blaise?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up as her eyes widened in surprise. Was Draco Malfoy almost _crying?_ She decided at that point to make her presence known, not wanting to hear anymore of something she was obviously not supposed to.

Opening the portrait quietly she shut it a bit more forcefully so the boys would hear the click. Both their heads shot up to stare at her as she awkwardly stood there, blushing under their intense gazes.

Hermione cleared her throat, "Um yes, well… good night then." She stuttered out before racing to her room, locking the door and sliding down it so she was now sitting on the floor with her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on top of them. "Well, that went well."

Instead of working herself up over the situation, Hermione decided an early night was what she needed for an early rise tomorrow. It had been over a week since her last trip to the library and she was just itching to reacquaint herself with her comfy sanctuary hidden behind the shelves.

Snuggled into bed, Hermione couldn't stop her mind from wandering to what she had overheard. So Blaise knew about it and was helping him through it; that was fine since he was probably the least threatening of all the Slytherins. And what did he mean he was falling? She knew all about the strong pull a Veela felt for his mate, but was he really falling in _love _with her? And what was she feeling for him? She could no longer say she hated him, not after that moment in the hallway, having him rescue her and the dreams she had been having. No, she definitely didn't hate him, but what then? She wasn't in love with him; she knew that for sure, she didn't even know him! Had he really changed like Blaise said? He seemed to have, but if he wasn't the spoiled prick he used to be, then who was he?

Hermione growled to herself as she pulled a pillow over her head and against her ears in hopes of smothering out the confusing thoughts. _So if I don't hate him, what do I feel?_

_.~***~._

Draco stared dumb-struck at the door Hermione had just fled behind. Had she heard any of that? And if so, how much? This was nothing like how he imagined his first meeting with her after the incident; well, the first meeting while she was conscious that is. He had imagined everything from her storming in and yelling at him before rejecting him on the spot to her entering the room and declaring that she was his to mark as he pleased. His inner veela purred at the thought of the latter.

After a few minutes he heard someone clear their throat and remembered that he wasn't alone and that Blaise had been there for the whole encounter.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all," he chuckled a bit, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

Draco sank back into the couch and gave a small humorless laugh as he once again placed his head in his hands. "Oh yes, I could just feel the warmth radiating from her. She really couldn't get away from me fast enough could she?"

Blaise gave his friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "This whole thing is just really odd and confusing for the both of you. She's probably just as anxious about it as you are and has no idea what to make of the whole fucked up situation. My advice to you; talk to her alone tomorrow. Get to know her, and let her get to know you. And what ever you do, don't be an idiot and fuck this up." He said the last part with a grin and ruffled Draco's hair in a patronizing way.

Draco crossed his arms and grumbled something under his breath.

"I'm sorry blondie, didn't quite catch that?"

"I said get your ass back to your own dorms you bloody bastard." He smiled genuinely and shoved Blaise out of the portrait and into the corridor. "I'll let you know how tomorrow goes. If I'm not dead that is." He sighed and turned around, walking to his room; stopping for a moment to stare at Hermione's door and try and will her out, just so he could see her again.

Something inside him had shifted during the week, and he knew now that he was_ in love _with _Hermione Granger_. Every sound or movement she had made while he watched over her had enraptured him. When she had walked into the room and spoke those few words he thought his heart was literally going to beat out of his chest. It happened fast, and without notice, but as soon as he gave up the fight inside him; the war between his past beliefs and the part of him who always saw something to admire in her, Draco found himself devoted to the last person he ever thought possible. And he couldn't find it in him to care less.

.~***~.

When Draco woke the next morning he instantly knew that Hermione had already left. Disappointment flooded him as he had confirmation now that she would be avoiding him for as long as she could. He would give her time, but they really were going to have to talk about this soon.

Draco walked into the bathroom and showered quickly. It was Saturday and so he had no classes to worry about, although the lack of classes really was the last thing on his mind. He wanted to search for Hermione, get the conversation over with and calm his damned nerves. However, he knew she would just walk the opposite way from him, and hunting her down would more than likely be a bad idea. So he chose to sit in the cushy armchair facing the door and wait for her to come to him.

The next few hours were possibly the longest of his life; longer than his transformation, than the hours of wondering who his mate was, longer than the time spent waiting to hear what was going on in the hospital wing. The more time that past, the more nervous he grew and the more ridiculous his thoughts became. He was just imagining Hermione walking in and hexing him to oblivion when the portrait opened slowly and the person of his musings quietly stepped in before turning around.

Hermione jumped when she noticed Draco in the chair just staring at her. She noticed how he sat rigidly in the chair, as if he was expected some kind of onslaught of cursing and hexes. She fidgeted nervously under his gaze until she couldn't handle the silence anymore. "I guess we're going to have to talk about this now aren't we?"

She looked up in time to see Draco relax a bit before replying. "Yeah, that would probably be best." He looked into her eyes and she saw numerous emotions flash across his once steel grey eyes. He looked worn and about as anxious as she felt.

Hermione didn't know what to say. Who the hell was this in front of her? This was certainly not the cocky bastard she was used to; the one who called her 'Mudblood' and carried on as if he were king of the world. In front of her was a man who was vulnerable and desperate.

She slowly made her way to the couch next to the chair and angled herself towards Draco so that they were facing each other. "So… where do we start exactly?"

Looking over to her, Draco realized she wasn't going to reject him right away as he initially thought. She was giving him a chance to speak to her and that gave him hope. "Maybe I should start from when I first found out about this?" It came out as a question and at her nod Draco continued. "Well, the week before my birthday I went to my father in hopes he would be able to tell me why I was feeling so dejected and lost. That's when he explained to me about our veela inheritance and how I was a true part-veela with all the traits. Of course I didn't want to believe him, but it made too much sense. And then the transformation happened…" He failed to suppress a shudder as he recalled the pain of that night. "I have never felt so much pain in my life. When I finally came to I could feel the difference. My senses were sharpened, but the lost feeling only became stronger. And then on the train I had to spend the trip in the same compartment as you and all these different emotions kept rolling through me every time something happened to you… You don't realize how oblivious I was all this time, thinking it was some kind of side effect… I didn't realize until that night we were arguing and I grabbed on to your arm that you were my mate. I had known on some level all along who you were to me, and some part of me wanted to deny it so bad because I knew you would reject me right away and there were still some underlying feelings of the past I refused to let go of based on principal. And I am really, truly sorry for that and for the way I have treated you in the past. You never deserved to be ridiculed or mocked by the likes of me or anyone else."

The sincerity in his eyes shone through as he pleaded with her to understand that he had changed. That he was sorry for his past actions and that he wanted to make it better in the future. He wanted her to know he would spend everyday of his life trying to atone for how he had treated her in the years they had known each other.

Hermione never said a word; just listening and taking in everything Draco was saying. She didn't let her emotions show, but inside she was reeling. She instinctually wanted to trust him. And after the dreams she had been having, it was getting harder to try and resist the pull she felt towards him. Everything was just so confusing and her emotions were flying all over the place like they were on a rampant roller coaster ride.

At her lack of response, Draco grew tense. Was he telling her too much too soon? Was he completely freaking her out? _Of course she's freaking out!_ He berated himself. _She has every right to do so._

Instead of dwelling on his thoughts, Draco decided to just continue talking and hope for the best. "I'll be honest with you; when I fully realized that you were my mate, I panicked, freaked out, and thought of every possible way I could be mistaken about it. I went to Blaise and my parents, and apparently those assholes had already figured it out and refused to tell me because they wanted me to figure it out on my own. Well, after I spoke with them, I realized that my choices were limited; get you to see I am a different person than I used to be and bond with you for life, or die. Based on self preservation I of course chose the former. Or at least I told myself it was because of self preservation. The truth is, and I realize this now, but I have always admired you on some level, even when I was being an ignorant bastard, and with the attraction and pull I feel towards you now, I wanted and still want your acceptance and much more."

Hermione's face took on a skeptical look as he finished this last speech. How could anyone possibly change this much in so little time?

"You don't believe me do you?" The sadness in his eyes took her by surprise. "I don't believe it myself sometimes, but what you have to realize is this past week has been nothing but torture for me and it's changed me completely. When I felt that you were _hurt_… when I saw what _she_ had done to you…" He was seething now with his fists clenching and unclenching in an attempt to remain in control. "I could have killed her. And then to see you lying unconscious on that hospital bed… something in me just snapped and I stopped fighting what I was feeling and realized I really do care for you. I couldn't even spend my nights away, having to sneak in at night and sit by you just to stay rational. I know this is probably the last thing you ever thought or ever wanted to happen, but I'm pleading you to give me a chance, to let me know you better and show you I am different. Please?"

Hermione didn't know what to say. She was at war with herself; one part wanting to run away as fast as she could while another wanted to give him the chance he was asking for. She remained silent for a long time, and just as Draco was resigning himself to her rejection she finally spoke. "I believe you. Merlin help me, but I really want to believe you have changed. I'll give you a chance, but one is all you're getting." She said so sternly, but Draco didn't care. An uncharacteristic grin spread across his face and he barely restrained himself from jumping over to hug her tightly to him.

"How about the Hogsmeade trip tomorrow?" Draco couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice. _Bloody hell, what the fuck is happening to me? One day I'm fighting this whole thing, and the next I want to declare my love for her? This is fucking insane!_ He thought to himself. At the same time another part of him was screaming _And who the hell cares?_

"Um… I guess that would be fine." Hermione gave him a small smile. She still wasn't comfortable with any of this, far from it. But the least she could do was try. "I'll see you tomorrow then." And without a backwards glance she retreated to her room, unable to take any more confusion or confessions for one day.

Draco was on cloud nine as he too went to his room. Before drifting off to sleep he reached over to his night stand and held down the green button on the communication devise from Blaise.

_She agreed to go with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow._

Even his thoughts held a smile in them.

_**Of course. Who the fuck could resist you? Now let me get back to sleep bastard.**_

Draco laughed out loud at his friends sarcastic but confident response before rolling over onto his back on the bed and placing his hands behind his head, a lazy smile drifting across his face as one thought kept repeating itself over in his mind.

_I have a date with Hermione Granger tomorrow…_

* * *

This chapter was actually longer than this, but than I decided to make the date into a separate chapter and leave you wanting for more haha. But good news is it's done so you'll get it once I'm satisfied with the reviews :P  
And yes I fully realize that Draco is completely OOC at this point, but it had to happen sometime... although, I am planning on getting him mainly back to himself, I just needed this chapter to show that his feelings towards Hermione have definitely changed drastically and he really does want her to be his forever.  
Once again, really sorry for the incredibly long wait but school is being a bitch lately. I should be posting the first chapters of the new fics soon so make sure you check back for those!

Still writing,  
~Ingenuity15

P.S. Who broke the record for most gold medals ever won by one country in the winter Olympics? That's right Canada did!  
Sorry if I insult any of my American readers, but this Facebook group needs to be quoted... "Silly Americans, Hockey is for Canadians!" Damn straight haha.


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you guys for being so patient with me and my updates. So here's the thing; from now on, never believe when I say I will update soon. The universe apparently loves to screw with my plans and has made it impossible to update for so long. Hopefully it won't do that anymore and I can start updating at a more constant pace. Anyways, I'm so sorry for the long wait! Enjoy the chapter though... This is where a major bit of the conflict gets introduced! And it's also their first date so I know you're wondering how that's going to turn out :]

~Ingenuity15

* * *

It seemed to Hermione that no time had passed and before she knew it, she was walking out of the castle with none other than Draco Fucking Malfoy by her side. Don't get her wrong, she was all for giving him a chance, but everyone was staring at them as they passed and she could feel herself blush from embarrassment. It wasn't just the blatant ogling ether, but it was the whispers that followed as well. Although, who could blame them; the Slytherin Prince with Gryffindor's Princess? Not something anyone would have imagined in a million years.

What really made her irritated though was the fact that Malfoy seemed oblivious to it all! Did he honestly not care that they would now be the school's gossip for the next month?

In truth, despite his calm demeanor, Draco was sweating bullets. Not because of the attention they were receiving – this was his mate and he would be with her every chance she allowed him – but because this was their first date, and his only chance, to show her that it wouldn't be a mistake to have him in her life.

The 'what ifs' continued to cross his mind, making it harder and harder not to show just how nervous he really was. _What if she suddenly decides she won't give me the chance to prove myself? What if I say something stupid and she gets angry with me? What if she can't put the past behind her?_

He shifted slightly closer to her, needing to feel her presence beside him, needing to know that she really was there, willingly with him. He wanted to take her hand and intertwine their fingers, feel the connection between them and the tingling that always came when he came into physical contact with her. Good lord what was happening to him?

.~***~.

Not too far away from the couple, a pair of indigo eyes watched.

Blaise leaned against the wall with a smug expression on his face as he looked at Hermione and Draco; happy that his friend was finally getting somewhere with this and would, hopefully, soon stop the moping.

He never said anything, but Blaise knew almost since their first year that those two were made for each other. He was just thankful the Veela in Draco would make them both see it, even if not for a while. Maybe he could help to speed up the process with a little Slytherin interference?

He mused over this idea as he headed back towards the castle and was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the person in front of him until he had walked into them and knocked them off their feet.

He quickly bent to help the girl up as he apologized. "I'm so sorry miss. I wasn't paying attention to…" His voice trailed off as he stared into the most gorgeous pair of blue eyes he had ever seen.

"Well hello to you too Blaise."

.~***~.

Hermione and Draco made their way to Hogsmeade in silence. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but there was something there that saved it from being completely awkward.

Draco found himself searching for something to say. Every now and then he would open his mouth, but shut it again soon after. He was frustrated to say the least. What the hell was going on? He was well known for his ability to sweet talk girls, and yet the girl beside him had him speechless.

Hermione sighed as she once again caught his attempt at conversation from the corner of her eye. This definitely wasn't what she had expected when she agreed to go out with him. This seemed to be a different person from the boy who picked on her all these years. There was no arrogance about him, no sense of superiority that usually filled the air around him. Draco Malfoy was nervous, and she couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her with that thought.

Draco turned his head to her in a questioning manner. One moment she was ignoring his existence and the next she was laughing? "What's so funny?"

The confused look on his face set her into a full out laughing fit and it took a few moments before she could compose herself enough to answer. "I just never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy, of all people, would be nervous, and in my presence no less. It's just hard to wrap my mind around is all."

"You think that's hard to wrap your mind around? Imagine what it was like for me to learn I wasn't all wizard and in fact was part Veela. Now that as a bit of a change." He chuckled to let her know that he was just teasing her a bit, and not at all complaining. He also wanted to bring up the 'being part-veela' thing in hopes that she would want to talk to him about it. He had explained some of it to her but he figured once she had all of the details from his perspective and answers to what was sure to be her many questions, she would be more open to accepting him. He would bring it up himself, but he knew that Hermione needed to be the one to initiate that conversation.

"Yes. I do suppose that would come as a bit of a shock." She looked thoughtful for a moment before continuing. "I do have some questions for you about all," she waved her hand between the two of them as if to make a point. "… _this_. But perhaps it can wait until later; I've got a few things to pick up and I think it would be better to have this conversation over some butter beer at the Three Broomsticks, don't you?"

Draco merely nodded, not wanting to jinx the relaxed atmosphere they were now in. He was smiling now that the tension had been broken and he could see that she wasn't going to yell at him or something like that. He could sense some happiness from her as well which made his smile widen further. Somehow, he just knew today was going to be a big step for them in the right direction.

Hermione had a small smile as well. After the initial awkwardness wore off she found that she was rather enjoying his company. This was probably the first civil conversation they had ever had, she would probably go as far as to say it was friendly, and she saw a new side to Draco that she had never seen before, one she never thought was even there.

As they continued their walk to Hogsmeade, Hermione found that both she and Draco had a lot in common. Although he didn't admit it out loud, he loved to read and gain knowledge almost as much as she did; which explained why he had the second highest marks at Hogwarts. They also were both very much interested in potions and how any slight change could give you completely different results. Hermione was relieved and ecstatic to have finally found someone to have an intelligent conversation with. It was definitely a welcome change from the usual Quidditch talk.

They decided to first pick up the few things they needed; new parchment, quills, ink, etc. before doing some pleasure shopping. Hermione found a new little bookstore and wasted no time in dragging Draco into it, though there was never a complaint from him. He just watched with affection as she lightly caressed the spines of the books and noticed how her face lit up every time a title caught her eye. By the end of an hour she had chosen four new books with the hope of coming back next trip for a few more that she would have liked.

Draco pouted a little when she refused to let him pay for them, but being the Slytherin he was, he made a list of the books she had chosen to leave behind and gave it and some galleons to the clerk, when Hermione wasn't looking, telling him to send it to Hogwarts later that week.

Their next stop was to Honeydukes, where they both filled their bags with sweets, laughing at some of the more ridiculous flavors and stocking up on chocolate frogs and sugar quills.

Finally, after a few hours of exploring the shops, Hermione and Draco made their way to the Three Broomsticks. It was almost empty this time of day so Hermione found them a table in the back easily while Draco went off to get their butter beers.

Hermione sat back and closed her eyes as she relived the past few hours. The Draco she saw now was completely different from the one she had known, and was also a wonderful relief from her usual companions for these trips. He was easy to talk with, their usual banter still there but now in a completely playful way; he had insisted on going to every store with her, despite her knowledge of his distaste for some and didn't put up a fuss when they passed the Quidditch store because he knew how much she hated the sport.

Another thing she found was that he was a complete gentleman. Holding open every door for her, carrying her bags even when she claimed she was more than capable to take them. Hermione could honestly say she could see herself getting used to this Draco.

Hermione was brought out of her reveries when the man in question returned with their drinks. She couldn't help but return the smile he sent her. He was stunning, that she could admit.

"So, I suppose you want some of those questions answered? I know you must have a lot of them by now." Draco took a sip of his drink as he watched her face turn to one of confusion and then understanding.

The truth was that Hermione had forgotten that they _weren't_ just two normal students out on a date, and that Draco was part–veela and she, in actuality, was his mate for life. What shocked her however was the fact that even though she had questions, she, for once, didn't really care about getting an answer. She was realizing that despite their situation and her initial doubts and worries, they were all unnecessary. It just felt right being with him here like this.

"I'm not honestly sure where to begin with this. Yes, I do have a lot of questions, but they seem to be a bit all over the place at the moment." A frown graced her features as she realized that, for once, her thoughts were not organized.

"Well, can I ask you a question while you gather them?" At her nod he continued. "How are you holding up? I know this must be a bit overwhelming, especially me being who I am and our past together, but you need to know that I will never rush you into anything. Any steps forward we take will come from you. Just know, that I will never hurt you and never wish to cause you any discomfort. I just want you to be happy." He gave a sad smile. He was having a moment of self doubt and it pained him to think that she might be happier if he were to leave her alone and die.

Hermione was shocked from the raw emotions in his words. Looking into his eyes and seeing those same emotions swirling behind, she could finally admit to herself that in one day, Draco Malfoy had caused her to start falling. The feelings were strong, but not quite the love he felt for her._ Not yet anyway _she thought.

Reaching across the table she took one of his hands in hers. _This is it, there's no point waiting out the inevitable. Just say it, tell him you accept him and will allow him to claim you. _Draco looked up at her shocked, looking back to their connected hands before returning her gaze.

Hermione took a breath and began. "Draco I'm…"

"What the bloody fucking hell are you doing?"

Startled, Hermione and Draco jumped further apart, not realizing they had been leaning towards each other. Standing in front of their table was a fuming red head who was accompanied by a blond on one side and a raven haired boy a few feet behind.

Ron was absolutely livid. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my girl ferret?"

Hermione gasped in astonishment and rage. What was he thinking? He lost any rights to call her 'his girl' when he cheated on her. Before Draco could respond, Hermione had risen from her seat. "How dare you! You have absolutely no right to call me yours. You lost that the moment you touched that," she pointed to Lavender, who was still beside him, "while you were still with me. I don't know what made you think you could come over here and cause a scene, but you better get it through your thick skull that I never want anything to do with you ever again!"

She was shaking now but she thought that maybe he would finally realize how much she really hated him and leave her alone. How wrong could she have been?

Ron grabbed onto her wrist tightly and Hermione cried out in pain. "Listen you bitch…" but before he got anything else out, he found himself thrown into a nearby wall and held there by a very angry Malfoy.

"Don't you ever lay another hand on her. She's done with you and if you can't handle seeing her with someone who will treat her right, like she deserves, not our problem. Get your scrawny fucking ass out of here you bastard, and if you so much as look at her again, I won't hesitate to hurt you." Draco's eyes were glowing as his veela side tried to take over and kill the person who had caused his mate pain.

Ron tried not to look scared but could not contain his shaking. As soon as Draco released him to the floor he scrambled up and dusted off his robes in a show of fake nonchalance. "Babe, Harry, let's leave. There's no reason to sully ourselves any longer in the presence of this slut and filthy death eater." He spat.

Draco and Hermione both reached for their wands, but found it needless as Ron was already staring into the end of Harry's.

"I'm sick of your arrogant attitude and the way you think you can treat everyone like dirt. I've had it with the way you treat the people in your life who have done everything for you. As far as I'm concerned, this friendship, or whatever it is, is over." The red head just gaped in disbelief as 'the boy who lived' made it clear by his tone that he wasn't joking. "And if you ever hurt Hermione again, I won't be the one stopping Malfoy from killing you. In fact, I rather think I'd like to help him hide the body." He smirked at the blond over his shoulder and received one in return.

Ron's incredulity wore off into anger and once again he stood there red faced and shaking. "Fine, but don't expect me to take ether of you back when you realize how much you need me. Believe me, this is far from over!" And with that he stormed out of the Three Broomsticks slamming the door and trailed by a frightened Lavender Brown. Draco, Hermione and Harry turned to look at each other.

"Is he actually for real?" Draco said. They all burst into laughter as did the few people around them who had witness the spectacle.

"Why don't you join us Harry?" Hermione said. After what just happened, she'd have to finish her conversation with Draco later tonight. As Harry sat down next to her she squeezed his shoulder. "Nice to have you back."

Hermione was just about to formally introduce the two boys, now that they could put their animosity behind, but was once again interrupted. Only this time, it was by someone carrying news that caused her to not only shake with fear, but to completely black out.

It was at this time a woman came barging in, out of breath and announced to everyone in the room, "Bellatrix Lestrange has just escaped Azkaban!"

* * *

I know this was really short, and probably not one of my best written chapters and you probably want to kill me for their interrupted moment, but I really just wanted to get it out to you guys after so long. It was a lot longer, but I cut it off here for two reasons: A) It was a better ending, a bit more suspenseful, and B) This way I can make the next chapter huge and make up for the three months that I haven't updated. Here's hoping that school doesn't get too much in the way of updating the next chapter and adding some new stories!

Forever yours,  
~Ingenuity15

P.S. putting a poll up now. Should the blue eyed girl Blaise (possibly) ends up with be Ginny or Luna? They're the only two besides Hermione I really like with him, but I am open to others if you guys would prefer someone else. As always, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

Once again, I cannot apologize enough for the long periods in between updates. Exams have been brutal and now, I just have one more, which happens to be my physics public (kill me now!). So, for those of you wishing I would update faster, I will be able to do that and post some new fics as soon as this exam is over! So for now, this will have to tide you over! Please give me some feedback, need to know what I'm doing right and wrong! Oh, and now you finally get to see some Blaise and his mystery girl!

~Ingenuity15

AddictedToFF: I was really worried about how people would take the transition, because to be honest, it is such a huge change and I wasn't sure it would be very believable. Thank you for letting me know your thoughts on it :]

Hans153: Glad you thought it was worth the wait. Really thought I would have lost the majority of my readers because it took so long to update, but I'm working to fix that so hopefully you will never have to wait that long again :]

rosedragonamber: To answer your question, she did not die in the war. The great thing about writing fanfiction is that you can change some information in the books to suit your purposes. So in this case, I am basically ignoring the last two books. Everyone who died during the war in the HP books, is still alive unless told otherwise, and the Malfoys are on the good side, if for alternative motives (such as Draco's mate being Hermione). Hope that cleared it up for you and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Blaise was stunned for a moment as he stood taking in the beauty before him. His heart raced as she reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "Are you alright Blaise? You seem rather out of sorts."

He nodded dumbly before clearing his throat and giving her what was, hopefully, his most charming smile. "I'm sorry, must have gotten lost in my thoughts for a moment. It's lovely to see you Luna." He internally sighed as he said her name. Luna had been the one and only girl to make the smooth talking Blaise Zabini tongue tied. He didn't know why; could it be her soft, flowing blonde hair? Her dazzling blue eyes? Or perhaps, it was the way nothing seemed to faze her, and the way she wasn't afraid to be her unique self?

Whatever it was, it had Blaise completely smitten with the young Ravenclaw, and although everyone in the castle seemed to know of his attraction to her, Luna seemed to be completely oblivious to his attentions.

"Perhaps it was just the Wrackspurts. You have to be careful of them this time of year. Just awful when you think of something clever and they decide to float through your ear and fuzz everything up." Luna looked off dreamily, as was per usual, and Blaise just nodded his head like a love sick puppy. Even when she was spouting some kind of nonsense about Nargles or Crumpled-Horned Snorkacks, he was infatuated with her. If you asked him, it was all rather endearing.

"It probably was, now that I think of it. Thank you for the warning, I'll be sure to be doubly as cautious of them." His grin widened as she smiled at him. She never said anything to anyone, but she always appreciated the way he took what she said to heart and never spoke to her in a condescending way as if she were insane, like most people did.

"And what are you doing out here on such a fine morning?" Blaise couldn't help but mentally hit himself. _Such a fine morning? Really, could you be any lamer?_

But Luna didn't seem to notice his inner monologue as she answered him. "Actually, I'm off to meet up with Ginny. Hogsmeade weekend and all, thought I'd get out and do some Christmas shopping."

Blaise was amused to say the least. Who else would think to go Christmas shopping in September? "That sounds like a good idea. I'm headed off there as well once I perform a few of my prefect's duties. Maybe I'll see you later for a butterbeer?" He tried not to sound too hopeful, but he could tell it didn't work. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, Luna didn't seem to pick up on it.

"That would be lovely. I'm sure Ginny would agree. So shall we meet you at the Three Broomsticks at around two?" She just looked too damn cute smiling at him like that, that Blaise couldn't be disappointed in her missing his subtle hint at asking her out on a date.

"Two sounds good to me." He replied.

"Oh, there's Ginny. Well must be off, see you later and remember to watch out for those Wrackspurts! Would hate for you to lose track of time." She took a step toward him and leaned up to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. She then walked away towards the red head who was smirking knowingly up at Blaise.

If Blaise thought his smile couldn't get any bigger, he was proven wrong when he felt her soft lips against his skin. It was all he could do not to run after her and snog her senseless. So instead, he watched his love lock arms with Ginny as they walked towards Hogsmeade, heads together as they whispered about something.

Blaise turned to return to the castle to do his rounds watching those staying behind, but stole one last glance over his shoulder. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped him as he reached up to touch the spot on his cheek that tingled from her touch. Dear Merlin, he was getting to be as bad as Draco!

.~***~.

Luna reached out and locked arms with Ginny, who continued to smirk at her.

"Luna, when are you going to get your head out of the clouds and realize that boy is completely and utterly head over heals for you?" As much as Ginny enjoyed watching Blaise stumble over his words, there is only so much you can take before you have to step in and help.

"Oh Ginny," Luna laughed. "I may like to be in my own little world at times, but no one is that oblivious." She continued to giggle at Ginny's confused expression.

"Well if you know he likes you, than why aren't you accepting any of his date offers?"

"Silly Ginny. He only hints and gives subtle clues about dates. Nope, if I'm going to be going out with him, he's going to have to ask me straight out. Until then, he's not getting me alone. Which reminds me, the two of us have a date with him at the Three Broomsticks this afternoon." The two girls laughed and Ginny shook her head.

"You are evil you know that. I think I'm starting to pity the poor boy!"

.~***~.

_Hermione was just about to formally introduce the two boys, now that they could put their animosity behind, but was once again interrupted. Only this time, it was by someone carrying news that caused her to not only shake with fear, but to completely black out._

_It was at this time a woman came barging in, out of breath and announced to everyone in the room, "Bellatrix Lestrange has just escaped Azkaban!"_

Draco heard a gasp and turned to find Hermione falling to the floor. His protective instincts emerged and he caught her before she could hit her head against the table. Unfortunately, like in the corridor with Pansy, these instincts caused him to lose control of his civilized mind and go into Veela mode with only one thought: Protect his mate.

So when Harry ran over to help, it was no wonder that Draco crouched over Hermione and began to growl in warning. Not being an idiot, Harry stopped and took a few steps back, as well as stopping a few other wizards before they could go near.

"Draco, you need to let me come and help." Although he didn't know all the details, it didn't take a genius to figure out from his black eyes and unearthly demeanor that Draco wasn't a normal wizard.

His only answer was a feral snarl that emanated deep in Draco's throat.

Harry held up his hands and took a cautious step forward, deciding to take a different approach. If Draco seemed to be protecting Hermione, why not use that to let him get close. "Draco, I need to get to Hermione. She could be hurt and I need to make sure we don't need to take her to the hospital wing."

The animalistic sounds seemed to die down as he contemplated what Harry said. "I promise not to hurt her and you can remain holding her the entre time, ok?" Harry took another step forward but stopped when he was growled at once again.

Finally, Draco seemed to accept the fact that Harry wasn't a threat. He clenched his jaw and nodded, but did not once relax his body.

Harry sighed with relief and slowly made his way to kneel by Hermione whose head was now in Draco's lap as he lovingly stroked her hair. He couldn't understand what the hell was going on. But for now, he would make sure Hermione was ok and ask his questions later.

When he was done checking her over he was pleased to find she had merely passed out and did not suffer from any other effects. Looking over to Draco he saw that the blond was smiling softly at Hermione while lightly caressing her face. Harry couldn't be sure, but it seemed like he… loved her? It made him uncomfortable, like he was intruding on an intimate moment, and so Harry cleared his throat before he began speaking. "She seems to be alright. But we should probably revive her and take her to see Madame Pomfrey just in case. I'm assuming you'll want to be the one to perform the charm?"

Draco nodded in appreciation of Harry's consideration and quickly performed the appropriate charm. As Hermione's eyes fluttered open, Draco visibly relaxed and he smiled widely at her. "Welcome back sleeping beauty."

Hermione looked around with bleary eyes as she tried to regain her vision, "What happened?"

Harry, who she hadn't noticed next to her answered. "Well, you sort of passed out on us."

"Yes, I figured that but why did…" She gasped as it came back to her. "She escaped! How could they let her escape?"

Draco and Harry both tensed. With the need to help Hermione, neither had remembered why she had fainted in the first place!

Hermione, now realizing that she was lying with her head in Draco's lap, on the floor of the Three Broomsticks, _with_ a crowd watching, struggled to get up. "We should go back to Hogwarts. I want to ask Dumbledore if he knows anything more about this." Realizing she stood to quickly, Hermione almost fell again, but was once more saved by Draco's arm holding her around the waist.

"You can't walk like this." Draco stated as the room spun before her eyes. "You need to sit for a while before you go anywhere."

"But we need to get there quickly! We don't have time to wait. Besides, I'm perfectly fine to walk now." As if to prove her point, she removed Draco's arm and took another step forward before falling back into him.

She saw Draco smirking and glared at him. "Fine, so I'm a little dizzy. But how do you suggest we get there, oh mighty Slytherin you?" His smirk widened as he looked at her.

"Easy," And in one swift motion he had lifted her onto his back so that her arms were around his neck and her legs were wrapped around his waist. She cried out in surprise but before she had time to yell at him, he was already at the door. "I carry you. You coming Potter?"

.~***~.

It wasn't long before they reached the castle and made the trek up to the gargoyles guarding Professor Dumbledore's office. It was here that Hermione made Draco place her back on her two feet, although not without complaint from him. The feeling of having her body wrapped around his was better than he could have ever imagined.

Giving the password (Gumdrops), the three made their way to the office doors and before they could even knock were told to come in. It always chilled the students how Dumbledore seemed to sense these things.

"Ah yes, I was just about to send for you. I assume you've heard the news than?" Dumbledore was seated behind his desk as usual, with five chairs now in front of his desk. Hermione was confused; who were the other two chairs for?

"Yes sir. That is precisely why we came to talk to you." She took the seat in the middle while Draco sat on her right and Harry on his other side, not wanting to push whatever boundaries Draco had concerning Hermione.

Draco needed to be close to Hermione now that he could sense possible danger to her, and so he took her hand in his. She made to pull away, but one look at his desperate, pleading, face made her reconsider, and instead she allowed him the small touch.

"Yes, well now that you're comfortable we should probably start by explaining your situation to Harry if you don't mind. I have some guests coming to better explain the Azkaban situation." They nodded their confirmation and he continued. "Well Harry, no need to beat around the bush as they say. Draco has recently come to learn that he is part-veela and it has become the dominant blood since his coming of age. Hermione here is his mate, and if she doesn't allow him to mark her before his next birthday, binding them for eternity, he will die. So as you can see, they're clearly trying to give it a go and make it work." He smiled as Hermione looked down blushing and Draco continued to stare at her unabashedly while rubbing soothing circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.

Harry was surprised to say the least, but it did explain a few things from earlier. "Well, that's… a lot to take in." He turned in his seat to address Hermione. "I'm sorry I haven't been there for you through all of this, since I'm sure it was even harder for you to sort through, but if it helps, I'm here now."

Hermione smiled back at her long time friend, but before she could say anything in return, the fireplace seemed to roar to life and Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy stepped out, brushing the soot of their robes as they did.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Glad you could make it. We have just finished filling in young Mr. Potter, on the special circumstances concerning your son."

Lucius greeted both Harry and Dumbledore with a brisk nod, but Narcissa was already concentrating on the brunette next to her son who was looking at them with shock and apprehension.

"You my dear must be Hermione Granger. It's very nice to finally meet the girl the fates have blessed my little Drakie-Poo with. He has mentioned so much about you." To everyone's surprise, she pulled both Draco and Hermione into a hug before allowing them to return to their chairs, and promptly taking the one to Hermione's left.

"Drakie-Poo?" Hermione whispered to Draco with no small amount of amusement.

"Hermione dear, please shut it." Was all he could manage as an uncharacteristic blush appeared on his cheeks. Harry could barely contain his laughter as he bit down on his fist to rein it in.

"Yes, well as lovely as it to officially meet your mate," Lucius smirked at his sons embarrassment. "There is a bigger reason behind this impromptu meeting. I'm afraid this was found in Bellatrix's cell."

He held out a piece of parchment to the three students and silently watched as they read it. He knew they had finished when Hermione turned ashen, Harry's eyes narrowed in anger and Draco growled menacingly and pulled Hermione to his lap, holding her tightly to him.

Dumbledore knew he would have to make some changes to the Head boy and girl's schedule because Draco would not be letting Hermione out of his sight now that there was a viable threat to her person.

The parchment slipped from Hermione's shaking hands and the terrifying words were once again visible to all in the room:

_**The line of Malfoy will end before it is contaminated with such filth. Watch your Mudblood traitor. **_

* * *

So what do you think about that ending? Now we know why Bellatrix escaped, but is there something else to it? You'll have to wait and see! And how did she find out about Draco and Hermione? Questions have been answered but I probably left you with a lot more by the end didn't I? Hopefully I will have answered them all in the chapters to come, but for now, you can just tell me what you thought of this update. Promise I will have the next one out to you in a week or less! Have some plans for someone for Harry too, so no worries. Hope you liked the bit with Blaise... Lots of that to come as well. I just realized I am 11 chapters in, over 40000 words, and no end in sight... looks like you guys are in for a long one! New fics should be up in two weeks or less as well. Once again, love to hear your thoughts and comments on this chapter and where the fic is heading!

Love always,  
~Ingenuity15


	12. Chapter 12

So how's this for a quicker update? You guys are amazing by the way. Reviews have hit the over 300 mark and I couldn't be happier that this fic seems to be going well. I have a clear view of where I want to go from here, and a few main events mapped out, so be prepared for lots of drama to come! As always, I would really love for you guys to review this story! You can only improve once you know what needs improvement! Also, first chapter of marriage fic is up! Not much so far but will hopefully get better as the plot grows. Please let me know how that ones going as well!

~Ingenuity15

Xvanniex: Glad the story could keep your interest in order for you to read the whole sitting! Also, thank you for letting me know about the running sentences. I do write all of this straight from thought process, so from now on I'll make sure to go back and read it more carefully. Thanks for the help :]

Cullen's pet: Thank you for letting me know that. It makes me feel slightly less guilty for not updating for so long haha.

Hans153: Haha, that is really weird! Hopefully you and your friend continue to enjoy this fic as it goes on!

tfobmv18: Thank you for letting me know about the chapter mix ups! I honestly would not have noticed and a lot of people would have been confused by that. So everyone now owes you for having a chapter five and not two chapter twos! haha

Big thanks to everyone following this story!

* * *

Draco couldn't help but feel complete as he held his mate in his arms while she slept. They had been lying there for a few hours now, but Draco couldn't find it in him to close his eyes; not with all that had happened.

It didn't take long after they read that note for the veela in Draco to completely take over his senses. When that happened, Hermione found herself cradled in his arms as he quickly whisked her away and locked them both in his room. She never made a sound, feeling more protected in his arms than she would have liked to admit.

Dumbledore must have told everyone to leave them be as no one came to disturb them. It was a comfort to Draco to know Hermione was safe, and he had never felt better than when he was stroking her hair as she rested against his chest. He could forever get used to the feelings that came as her breath evened out and he realized she trusted him enough to fall asleep with him holding her. Even while her life, both their lives, were being threatened.

As Draco lovingly stroked his slumbering mate's cheek, she cuddled closer into his side and sighed. He smiled at that; even if she was still trying to deny that she may be starting to like him while awake, her subconscious thoughts knew they were just right together. _Great, now it's official. I'm a corny sap_. Draco thought to himself.

"Draco." Hermione murmured

He was surprised to hear his name from her lips, but that surprise turned into so much more when he realized her eyes weren't opened and she was still asleep.

"Draco." She sighed dreamily.

The only way to describe the feeling that rushed through him was pure, intangible, joy. He was in her dreams, and they sounded happy too. She was having happy dreams about him! He would have laughed out loud if it wouldn't have woken her up.

If she dreamed about him, did that mean she was starting to have feelings for him too? He was positive they weren't near what he felt for her, but if they were even a fraction, did that mean he had a chance? Was his happy ending closer than he thought it was?

He wouldn't force her to open up to him, but he could only hope she would let him know soon. He thought their date had gone well… that is until her ex had shown up… and then they had received the news about Bellatrix… So maybe it wasn't the best end but it had been good up till that point!

He had found himself falling for her harder the more they spoke. She was just so intelligent, witty, independent, kind hearted, and possessed so many more qualities he couldn't help but admire.

Their conversations had been all playful banter instead of their usual fights and Draco couldn't help but kick himself because of the amazing girl he had been missing out on, all due to his 'pureblood pride'. He could have been with her for all these years, but instead he had pushed her away.

Now that he was starting to know her and how incredible she was, he would never let go. If she would have him, Draco vowed to spend the rest of their lives making her happy.

But first, he had to make her safe. At all costs he would make sure nothing happened to harm his beloved mate.

.~***~.

Blaise was beyond nervous by the time two o'clock came about. His hands shook as he clasped them on the table and he tried to take some deep, calming, breaths to steady them. _It's only Luna, the girl you've been in love with for years. And well Ginny of course, but you talk to them often enough so it's not like they don't know you. And she, I mean they, agreed to spend some time with you, so they obviously don't hate you… But what if they do? What if they planned for me to sit here for hours by myself? What if they changed their minds and have decided to ditch me? Fuck, I think I'm hyperventilating…_

Just as he was about to go into full on panic attack, the two girls in question walked in, and he happily flagged them over to his table. He didn't realize until after that his greeting had been entirely too exuberant. He had practically been bouncing in his seat for Merlin's sake!

"Hey, would you two like a butterbeer. I would have ordered something before hand, but I wasn't sure on what you would like and I didn't want to be too presumptuous and yeah…" He rattled on nervously. Luna was looking at him with that dreamy smile and it was taking a lot of will power not to wipe it away with his lips.

Ginny and Luna both gave their consent and sat down as a flustered Blaise went off to get their drinks. They giggled aloud as soon as he was out of earshot and put their heads together to whisper.

"You are so lucky Luna. That boy is _gorgeous, _not to mention he has a great personality and it would seem he only has eyes for you. I mean he didn't take them off you the entire time! And did you see how excited he was? Why won't you just go out with him?" Ginny questioned.

"I've told you. I want him to get over his nerves around me and ask me properly. Now shhh, the delicious piece of man candy is coming back and I don't want him to think the gossipgibbers have taken hold of my senses." Ginny gave her a dubious look before smiling in defeat. No matter how normal she seemed to be at times, Luna would always have those imaginary creatures on her mind. Although tell her they're imaginary and you just might lose your head.

Blaise laid the three butterbeers on the table before resuming his seat across from them. "Here you go ladies. So, how has your day in Hogsmeade been so far?"

"It's been rather well. A few new shops since last year, although we haven't gotten around to Honeydukes yet, but there are apparently a few new sweets there as well." Ginny answered, hoping Blaise would notice the opening and take the invite.

He did.

"I actually haven't gotten around to there ether. Would you mind if I joined you?" He responded to Ginny, although he was looking at Luna for a sign she didn't want him along. She smiled at him and he felt like a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"We'd love for you to join us. Would it be ok if we stopped into the book store just down from there first? There's this new book on the long lost cultures of the wizarding world that I'm just dying to get." Luna replied.

Blaise's jaw dropped as he looked at her before a huge grin broke out across his face. "You don't by any chance mean 'Lost in Magical Time' by Holden Times do you?"

"Yes!" Luna exclaimed enthusiastically. "So you've heard of it too?"

"Of course! My aunt just so happens to know the author and managed to send me a few signed copies." He reached in his bag and rummaged around for a bit before pulling out one of the books in it and handed it to Luna. "I received them from her this morning, and this used to be a spare copy. Now it's yours."

Luna was absolutely stunned. Not only was this boy amazing, but a signed book by Holden times was worth a lot of galleons, and here he was just giving it to her. So maybe she didn't have to wait for him to ask her out right. It wasn't doing ether of them any good.

The disbelief and hopefulness that radiated off of Luna's face fed Blaise's own joy. To know that he was the one who had made her smile like that lead him to feel like he was king of the world. He loved being the reason she was happy and could definitely get used to it.

"You can't be serious Blaise! This is amazing! Are you sure you just want to give it to me though? I mean, I could pay you for it?" As soon as she saw the hurt look on his face she took it back. "Or not, but at least let me make it up to you somehow."

Blaise smiled again. "Sounds like a deal. I really think your going to love that book. I haven't had a chance to really look at it yet, but chapter five seems like it will be very interesting. It's about the people who inhabited the forbidden forest before Hogwarts was built…"

As he and Luna began their intense discussion on the book and other similar interests they had, Ginny slipped away and out the door undetected. She was very proud of herself for setting them up like this. Poor Blaise needed an opening in which he was relaxed to ask her out, and this way he had one.

Humming, she made her way back to the castle, not noticing the dark silhouette that followed her from the shadows…

.~***~.

Hermione groaned groggily and tried to stretch, but soon realized her arms were pinned to her sides by another pair of arms wrapped around her. Looking up, she found her eyes locked with the swirling grey ones of Draco Malfoy.

"Hello sleeping beauty. Dream well?" He said with a tender note in his voice.

She simply nodded her head, still lost in his eyes. If only he knew how often he starred in her dreams, he wouldn't be so worried about her returning his feelings in the future. Realizing she was still lying on his chest, Hermione tried to sit up, only to be held tighter against his body.

"I'm sorry, but after what we found out a few hours ago, I'm afraid I'm going to have to hold you for a while. Unless you want me to go all veela on your ass that is." He gave her a tired smirk and she replied with a small smile of understanding.

"That's fine. Thank you looking out for me while I slept. I really needed that." She looked down, embarrassed by her admission, only to look up again to ask something that had been going through her mind since they left Dumbledore's office. "So what happens now?"

"Well, I know this is going to be a lot to ask, but until Bellatrix is caught I would rather you not left my side, or at least my sight. I'm going to have Dumbledore arrange it so I'm in all of your classes and if it's not too much to ask, could you stay here at night? Or could I stay with you in your room? I know I won't get any sleep unless I know you're safe." He looked pleadingly at her and even though she knew it was going to be hard always under watch, had to agree with him. She felt much better whenever he was around.

"I think I could manage to stay here at nights. But won't it seem rather odd to everyone else if all of a sudden you are with me everywhere I go?" Hermione asked.

"To be honest, I don't care. You already know where I stand on this Hermione, and that's never going to change. I love you Hermione Granger. I know it's soon and out of the blue, and I know I've been a right prat to you all these years, but I'm not fighting this anymore. I love you and I don't care if the whole bloody school knows it." His gaze was intense. He had wanted to say those words for so long, and now that he finally had, he was waiting for her reaction.

"You love me?" Hermione whispered in disbelief.

"More than I ever thought possible. You are an amazing woman and an even better witch. I can only hope that one day you will allow me the honour of claiming you as mine, as I will always be yours." _If I'm going to be corny, might as well lay it all out there._ he thought to himself.

Hermione was over whelmed. Yes she had thought he was in love with her, but to actually hear it was another thing all together. She knew she didn't love him yet, but she did have strong feelings for him. Just the way she felt around him made her want to stay by his side. This conversation was intense, almost too much so. But it was the perfect opening to do what she had been meaning to do since their date. Had that really only been a few hours ago?

Taking a deep breath, she let it all out. "Draco, I accept you."

Draco looked at her, too shocked to form any words. She accepted him? She wanted to be with him? "What?" was the only coherent thing he could manage.

Hermione smiled at his speechlessness. "I accept you Draco. I accept that you are part-veela, that I am your mate, and that I am going to spend my life with you. I know I can't say I love you yet, but I can say I accept the fact that I will."

As she finished, a silver light flashed around them, twining between the two and binding them together, before it once again flashed into oblivion.

The matching smiles on their faces were brilliant and couldn't be contained. Draco wanted to fly high above the castle and shout to the world that she had accepted him, that she wanted him, and that the first part on their road to forever was completed. Instead, he settled for taking her face between his hands and repeating those words he had said that night patrolling in the halls.

"Granger, if you don't tell me to stop, I'm going to kiss you."

"Then I won't." She replied.

Leaning forward, Draco finally accomplished the one thing he had been dreaming of since he first made the discovery that she was his mate.

He finally captured her lips with his own.

The sparks that flew into both their bodies at that connection was simply indescribable. Heat coursed through their veins, and what had started as a sweet, chaste kiss, had soon become passionate and full of need. Ignoring the need to breathe, Draco pushed Hermione back so that he was hovering over her while her hands tangled into his platinum locks.

Hermione gasped as Draco slid his tongue along her bottom lip, and quickly granted him access. He groaned as her own tongue tentatively reached out and he began to explore her sweet taste.

It was like no other kiss he had experienced, filled with so many emotions, and although he knew they had to stop before they went too far, he found it was the most difficult thing he had ever done. It didn't help that Hermione seemed just as reluctant to stop as he was.

Slowing down, he kissed her lips chastely a few more times before leaning his forehead against hers. Their breathing was heavy and laboured as they stared into each others eyes.

"Wow." Hermione whispered, causing Draco to chuckle.

"Yeah, wow."

Their moment didn't last however as a crash was heard from the common room they shared. Draco was instantly in veela mode and was rushing to assess the danger to his mate.

He stopped when he saw it was just Harry who had burst in and created the noise. Harry was leaning over to catch his breath, as if he had run here from the other side of the castle.

"Potter, what is the meaning of all of this?" Draco said, although lacking the normal sneer he used over the years when addressing the-boy-who-lived.

"It's Ginny… Something has happened to her!"

* * *

I'm just loving the cliffies lately haha. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue to follow this one, and maybe start following the new one I've posted. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, what with Blaise and Luna's 'date' and Hermione and Draco's first kiss after her acceptance of him. One part of the bonding ritual down, the fun two to go haha. Hopefully get the next one to you in a few days!

Forever love,  
~Ingenuity15

P.S. LittleO318, since you enjoy these little post scripts, thought I'd thank you for your review in one! Also, not sure if anyone knew this before hand, but when you blush, the outer lining of your stomach (the actual organ) turns red as well. Gotta love useless facts! haha


	13. Chapter 13

I'm sorry, don't kill me, I come with an update! Life gets in the way but I'm trying to get it all in order so I can get these out to you quicker (full explanation on profile). My other two stories are up and the updates for them will be up asap so it would be fantastic if you could take a look and see if they interest you any. This chapter definitely adds to the plot, although it's really just information for future action, and I hope you like the little twists to come. I mean, this would not be my story if there weren't a few of them. Enjoy everyone and hopefully I'll get you the next before another 4 months! haha.

~Ingenuity15

Angel of Darkness Forever: I know it was just getting good, but I can't have them going too fast. I do however promise lots of future steamy moments for Hermione and Draco to come very soon. I mean, they still have the fun two parts of the bonding to complete ;)

Quills of Time: Thank you for your advise. I really appreciate your help in making this a better story and I now have some Hermione developpment planned out for the next chapter. Hope you keep reading and enjoy!

toiLet-cam: Even though I remember having read some of that story, I can honestly say I never once thought of it while writing my own. I went back to look at it once you mentioned there were similarities and although there were a few (you can't help over lap in these cliche stories) they definitely were not chosen for the same reasons and I assure you none of my ideas for plot or otherwise were taken from any other story that I have read anyway. Thank you for pointing it out though and not doing so in an assuming and acusitory way. I apreciate that and hope you continue reading this fic!

Much thanks to everyone else who reviewed and for putting up with my lack of update!

* * *

**Just a recap of what has happened so far so you don't have to reread everything again if you don't feel like it:** _Draco discovered he was a Veela and after ignoring many signs he finally figured out his mate is Hermione Granger. They're Head Girl and Boy this year so they share a commons and such. Recently Hermione and Draco recieved the news that Bellatrix Lestrange has escaped Azkaban and is after them, and after that Draco brings Hermione back to their rooms. They have a chat and Hermione finally completes step one in their bonding and accepts him; basically agrees to be his mate. They kiss but are interrupted by Harry barging in with news that something happened to Ginny. Something happens to Ginny after she pretty well sets up Blaise and Luna on a date and leaves to go to the castle, not noticing someone following her. No one (except me!) knows what has happened to her, so I guess you'll want to read the chapter now and find out!_

"And so I pushed him into the lake! I mean, can you imagine not believing in narshankles? Does he really think people just trip on thin air for no reason at all?" Blaise couldn't help but laugh out loud as Luna concluded her story. They had been there for over an hour now and Blaise couldn't believe how amazing this girl truly was.

Before this, his longest conversation with Luna had been six minutes and thirty-seven seconds (not that he had been counting or anything). It was astounding how much they had in common and how easy it was to open up to her once he had gotten over his nerves.

The nerves that were now coming back as the decision to ask her out solidified. He wasn't planning on doing that today since Ginny had been there, but since she had gone (Luna said she was just bored of their history talk and had probably gone to Honeydukes) he figured there was no better time.

"I don't know how he survived not knowing about them," Blaise responded with a smile. "Luna, do you think I could ask you something?"

His voice shook at the end, betraying his nervousness. If he hadn't of looked down at his fidgeting hands he would have noticed the quick smile that lit up Luna's face. She could tell this is what she had been waiting for and after their conversation and finding out how much they shared and how easy it was to talk to him, she knew without a doubt that this was who she wanted to spend her life with. Some would call her crazy for coming to this conclusion about someone she barely knew, but she wasn't called 'Loony' Lovegood for nothing and somehow she just knew.

"Ask away Blaise."

"I was wondering if maybe… sometime soon… or later I guess, if you wanted to go out? You know, like on a date? But if not that's ok I suppose… I'll just crawl under a rock and die somewhere. But no pressure to say yes…" Luna found him adorable as he stumbled over his words, still looking at his hands and a blush igniting his cheeks.

Her smile stretched from ear to ear and she willed him to look up. He did and looked confused by her expression, not yet letting himself hope she would say yes.

"Blaise, I…" A loud bang interrupted her mid sentence as a student roughly slammed the door open and, with wide eyes, frantically searched the room. Spotting Blaise and Luna, they made their way over, breathing heavily.

"There you are Luna! You have to hurry back to the castle. Something's happened to Ginny!"

.~***~.

Luna and Blaise both reached the Hospital Wing in time to see Harry, Hermione and Draco round the corner on the other side of the corridor. The other three headed their way and all five pushed through the doors, in a hurry to see what had happened to their friend. The only details they had been given were that Ginny had been attacked and was now being taken care of by Madame Pomfrey.

They didn't know what to expect, but when they entered they found that they weren't the only ones who were visiting Ginny. By the side of her cot and looking deep in conversation with her was Dumbledore, and by his side, standing silently, was someone no one would have expected there.

"Nott, what are you doing here?" Draco asked his fellow Slytherin; Theodore Nott.

Theodore Nott, just known as Nott by most, looked up to see the new arrivals. He was the tall, dark, and handsome type with straight, but shaggy hair cut short and had the most beautiful bone structure for a guy. The only feature that kept him from being inhumanly striking was a crooked nose from too many Quidditch accidents.

Nott kept his features stone like as he usually did. He was the silent type; not one for too many words and rarely venturing out of his comfort zones. Being in a hospital wing with only one person he knew and seven people staring at him expectantly was definitely not in his comfort zone. His tense body was the only indicator of how ill at ease he really was.

Thankfully, Dumbledore stepped in at that moment. "Mr. Nott is here because he is the one who saved young Ms. Weasley. Apparently we have a lot to discuss so I'm glad you're all here." He wasn't himself and that made everyone worry. No hidden smile, no sparkle in his eye… This was very serious. "You might as well sit down as this is something that affects everyone. Three of you especially." He gave a pointed glance to Harry, Hermione and Draco.

Dumbledore conjured up chairs for all of them, but Draco ended up pulling Hermione into his lap, too wired and still on high from their previous discussion to have her sit anywhere else. Hermione went without fuss and curled up closer to him. Ginny grinned at them from her cot and the others finally got a good look at her, slightly relaxing when the only sign of damage they could see was a bruise forming on her right cheek.

"Ginny, what happened to you?" Luna asked the question that was on everyone's mind.

Looking over to Dumbledore, who nodded his head, Ginny took a deep breath and started her story. "Well, as you and Blaise know, I left about five minutes into your discussion on history books and such. Honestly, I had only planned to stay until you two relaxed with each other. Call it my way of matchmaking." She winked at them as they both blushed but then proceeded with the rest. "Well after that, I was headed towards the castle when someone jumped out from an ally and dragged me into the shadows. I tried to scream but they hit me across the face before casting a silencio and a body bind jinx. I was basically helpless but tried to take in as much detail as I could."

Ginny took a moment to calm herself before speaking again. "Anyways, they were wearing a black cloak with the hood up and it wasn't until they lowered it that I discovered it was Rodolphus Lestrange." A gasp came from Hermione and Draco held her even closer, as if he could mold their bodies together.

"He was so sure no one knew we were there that he started to tell me all about this master plan Bellatrix has come up with." Ginny continued. At this point, everyone was waiting with bated breaths, completely silent and waiting for Ginny to continue.

"He explained that before Harry defeated Voldemort, Bellatrix was being trained in as his replacement should anything go wrong. Since it did, she has now taken up his role as leader of the death eaters and is looking to finish his task of ridding the world of anything but purebloods." She looked over to Hermione and Draco now with tears in her eyes. "Hermione, he said her first goal is to make you and Draco an example. Show that not even blood relations are exempt from punishment should they mingle with those who are 'inferior'. She says she's going to kill you both and then go after Harry." The tears were falling down her face now and to everyone's surprise, it was Nott who went to comfort her; rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Draco was growling ferally and Hermione was trying to calm him down, whispering soothing words in his ear. Once he and Ginny had settled once again, Ginny resumed her story. "Anyways, at this point he told me that I was just bait to get Hermione alone and he was about to place me under the imperious curse to do so but was stopped by Nott. I blacked out so I don't really remember what happened after that."

All eyes were on Nott once again and he straightened up before speaking. "I was sitting on the hill not too far away from Hogsmeade, just to think, when I saw Ginny being dragged into the alley. By the time I ran down there I found Rodolphus with his wand pointed at her. I shot a curse at him but he blocked it. I yelled for help and I guess he just freaked and ran." Dumbledore had remained silent through out the explanation, a solemn look on his face.

"I must tell the ministry about this. Nott, please follow me; I may need your help in explaining this. The rest of you, Miss Weasley needs her rest, so I suggest you do your visiting before Madame Pomfrey shows you the door." A little of his usual spark showed through as he said this, but was soon gone as he left through the doors with Theodore following behind.

Everyone was silent before Ginny decided to break the tension in the room. "So Draco, do you think you could hook me up here? I mean, I am allowing you to be with my best friend, the least you could do is put in a good word for me with that fine piece of art that just left." A few giggles burst from Luna and Hermione which was soon followed by everyone gushing laughter; more out of shock from the information they'd been hit with than out of humor.

They stayed until night fell before being asked to leave by a disgruntled Pomfrey. They all went their separate ways after saying good night to Ginny – Harry towards Gryffindor tower, Blaise walking Luna to Ravenclaw, and Hermione and Draco heading towards their head rooms – all promising to come back and visit her the next day before she was released.

.~***~.

Blaise refused to let Luna walk through the dark castle by herself just in case there were any dangers lurking. That was the excuse he gave her anyways. Really, he just didn't want to leave her side and would do anything to prolong their time together. He still hadn't forgotten that the answer to his question had been interrupted, but time had passed and with the nerves hitting him again he found he didn't really want to know.

Making it to the Ravenclaw entrance, they stopped and just looked at each other in a somewhat awkward silence; in between knowing they had to go separate ways and not wanting to leave the others side.

"Well, I guess this is it… I guess I'll see you around?" Blaise asked anxiously.

Luna responded with a confident smirk which only served to make Blaise even more uneasy. "Of course, I mean we do have a date to go on." She laughed as he gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth to try and say something that just would not come out.

"You'll… You'll go out with me? Really?" He finally got out, disbelief and excitement lining his voice.

Luna laid her hand on his arm and smiled sweetly at him. "Of course silly. I've been waiting for the dizzywoos to get out of your head and allow you to ask me out since the first time we ran into each other. I don't know how you'd ever think I would say no."

His answering smile was stunning and he couldn't help but pull her into his arms in a warm embrace. Releasing her, he finally felt his normal confidence coming through. "So how about Friday? I don't think leaving the castle given the circumstances is such a good idea, but I have something in mind that I think you'd like. It's a surprise though so don't bother asking."

Luna laughed at his enthusiasm. "Ok, I won't. And Friday sounds perfect." She leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. "Night Blaise."

She left him there with a dazed look on his face. When what happened finally sunk in, a cheshire grin spread across his face and he placed a hand where her lips had been. Despite what had happened with Ginny, Blaise had decided that it had, in fact, been the best day of his life.

.~***~.

They were silent. As soon as they had left the hospital wing, the severity of the situation hit them and Draco had wasted no time in carrying Hermione into his room and placing her on the bed while wrapping his arms around her protectively. With all this new information, and knowing for a fact that his mate was in danger, the veela side refused to let her leave his arms; knowing that she was safe there.

"So what happens now?" Hermione whispered to him in a soft voice, trying to keep him calm while at the same time trying to calm herself.

Draco looked into her eyes for a while before replying. "We continue as we were going to. We'll go to Dumbledore and have it so that we're in the same classes and you'll hopefully still agree to stay here with me at nights. I know it's going to be hard, but I just can't leave your side right now, or have you leave mine, without losing control."

He rubbed comforting circles on her back as they gazed into each others eyes. "And what do you want? For the future I mean."

"If I be honest, will you promise not to be scared away?" She nodded. "I want you. I want to complete our bond and when we graduate I want to get a house together. I want to date you, get to know you inside and out, and eventually I want to get married and start a family. I want it all with you. You are my soul mate, nothing will change that and I will be with you for as long as you will allow me."

Hermione had never heard anything so loving and so honest from anyone in her life. The part that scared her was that she could see it too. She could see herself in a white dress, walking down an aisle and into Draco's arms; could imagine herself holding a baby while Draco stood behind her and held them both; could see them both growing old together and still being as deep in love as when they surely would be soon enough. She could see it all and what's more, she wanted it.

"Me too Draco. I want all those things too. Do you really think we could have all that, with our history?"

"I do Hermione. I will spend everyday of the rest of my life making up for how I treated you in the past. I can only hope you will learn to love me as much as I love you."

He tilted his head toward hers and she leaned further into his embrace until their lips connected, their breaths mingling as they moved together in soft caresses. Different from the overpowering need in their first kiss, this one was slow and passionate; filled with hope and promises for the future.

Hermione pulled away first and smiled shyly at Draco. "I think I might be falling for you." She admitted.

He pulled her closer, until they were lied down with no space between them, and buried his face into the crook of her neck. "I can't wait to mark you as mine. I don't know how long I'm going to be able to last if I don't."

She pulled on his hair until he looked at her again with pleading eyes. "You won't have to Draco. Soon. Very soon."

* * *

So how was this update? Sorry if there were a milion and one mistakes but I didn't really have time to go over it and just really wanted to get this out to you guys. I'll look over it tomorrow and fix everything, but as for now I hope this will do! I can't promise when the next update will be as life always seems to love to surprise me, but I do promise it will be soon! This chapter was going to end with a cliffy, but I took it out because I felt really bad for leaving you with the last one for so long. Anyways, always love hearing your thoughts on this and thanks for sticking with me and my lazy ass late updates!

Love you all,  
~Ingenuity15

P.S. Thought it would be fun to just put some random facts down here from now on. Apparently, the population of kangaroos in Australia is estimated to be about 40 million; which happens to be about double the population of people living there. Kangaroos will rule there one day, just saying. Haha.


	14. Chapter 14

At least this one didn't take three months! This chapter is realllllllllllllly short but that's because I split it in half as it made more sense (you'll get the other chapter Sunday or Monday, depending on whether I have computer access out of town Sunday.). This chapter is all about Hermione and Draco. In it I hope you'll get a better understanding of what they're both feeling and thinking, as well as how they're relationship is progressing. This one is really fluffy, just a warning, but it's going to heat up a little (or a lot) towards the end. I really enjoyed writing this one so I hope you enjoy reading it as well!

~Ingenuity15

tHevoLtuRi'SdARkpRiNceSS: Hope you enjoy this next chapter since it's all Draco/Hermione. Although there will still be Blaise/Luna and other side love stories going on through out, if you really don't want to read them, most of it can be skipped without missing any major plot. Hope you keep enjoying this fic :]

ria-bee: Everybody seems to be making suggestions on what I had already planned to write for the next chapter haha. This one will definitely make their feelings for each other, both Veela related and not, much more apparent. Thanks or the review :]

rainingdestiny: I honestly think I may have cried a little while reading your review. I'm beyond ecstatic that I could inspire you in your own writing endeavours and hope you'll let me know when you start posting! Keep writing and thank you for your review :]

Huge thanks for all the amazing reviews I received for the last chapter, and throughout the rest of this fic. You guys are amazing and I can't believe how many people generally like this story. If you had a question or comment that I haven't answered, or that isn't answered in this next chapter feel free to pm me and I'll be happy to respond!

* * *

Draco and Hermione both woke up at the same time that next morning; blinking to grow accustomed to the light that was beginning to brighten the room. Hermione snuggled deeper into his side, seeking the warmth from his body, and causing Draco to chuckle.

"Morning sweetheart." He said as he placed a kiss to the top of her head. She looked up sheepishly and blushed as she realized what she had done. She tried to pull away but Draco only held her closer. "I really could get used to waking up like this you know."

She relented with a sigh, retreating back into his embrace. "Morning", She mumbled in reply. Even with the intense admissions they had made last night, she still wasn't used to their growing relationship. Though she found the more she let go of all her doubts, the happier she became and the faster she fell. They still hadn't had many occasions to get to know each other and that made her remain somewhat apprehensive about all of this still, but she knew they would have plenty of time to wash away her fears.

As if reading her mind, Draco looked down at her in question. "Would you mind possibly spending the day with me in our commons? I don't feel like sharing and I want to get to know you better; learn what makes you Hermione Granger. I know we've been getting closer, but I understand if you're still too uncomfortable with the idea of spending a day alone with me." He looked so sad that Hermione almost blurted out yes just to make him smile. She however held her tongue to think about it.

Yes, this is what she had wanted - time to really get to know each other – but at the same time, she was hesitant. Her feelings for him were starting to grow but she couldn't help think that his feelings for her were merely due to her being his veela mate, and had little to do with him actually liking her for her. She knew that if they spent the day alone together that she would have to bring up her doubts and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that talk just yet.

She finally noticed how tense Draco had become at her silence and decided to put him out of his misery. "I'd like that." She smiled as his face that was filled with nervous anxiety before broke out into a broad grin.

"I'll go grab us some breakfast from the kitchens. Anything you want?"

She shook her head and watched in amusement as he hopped out of bed and practically skipped to the door, turning around to catch her response. "Whatever is good with me." He smiled brightly at her before leaving the room, spring in his step.

Hermione got out of bed as soon as she heard the portrait close and decided on getting a shower. If she was going to have a lazy day she might as well feel clean. She wouldn't admit to herself that she may want to smell nice for a certain part-veela…

While she was doing that, Draco made his way through the corridors until he reached the kitchens. He wasn't there for a minute before a house elf appeared and took his order, telling him they would send it right up.

He heard the shower running as soon as he stepped into their shared commons and it took everything he had for his thoughts not to stray to less than innocent thoughts. Draco wanted Hermione mind, body, and soul but at that moment it was her body that was calling to him.

Keeping focused on his plan for the day, Draco began to conjure up blankets and pillows, setting them all on the floor to make it impossibly comfortable for lounging in all day. He smiled to himself as he thought of how he would spend the entire day learning about his mate; his one and only.

It was only too easy for him now to separate the veela and man within him now, and though the veela part of him loved Hermione more than any words could express from the moment he saw her, he was just discovering that she had captured the other side of him as well. She may not have realized it but she now owned him completely. Every little thing about her intrigued him and the more he knew, the more he wanted to learn.

It was so hard for him to believe how awful he had treated her in the years before. How could he not see how beautiful and amazing she was? He admitted to himself that it was partly due to his upbringing as well as his inner-brat throwing a tantrum because she always bested him in class, but he would never forgive himself for almost throwing away what he knew would become the best and most precious thing in his life.

There was a *pop* and trays full of eggs, bacon, sausages, waffles, toast, oatmeal and an array of fruit appeared on the table Draco had moved near the floor set up. He also noticed the coffee, tea, and juice. Not yet knowing what Hermione liked to eat, Draco had asked for a bit of everything and was pleased as he took in the overall arrangement of the place.

A gasp caught his attention and he spun around to find Hermione coming out of her room, hair wet and twisted on top of her head, wearing an oversized shirt and a pair of spandex shorts. She looked casually beautiful and he once again found his mind wondering to that first kiss they had shared and what could have happened had they not been interrupted. The scent of strawberries and vanilla once again assaulted his senses and he couldn't help but breath deeply to take as much of it in as possible.

Her face broke into a small smile and Draco suddenly felt embarrassment and nervousness creep upon him. "I… I hope this is ok?" he stated it like it was a question and released a breath he didn't know he was holding as Hermione skipped past him and plopped down on a cushion by the table.

"This is perfect," she admitted. She had been pleasantly surprised by the effort Draco had put in to making her comfortable and realised that he must be just as unsure of her feelings for him as she was of his feelings for her. That thought made her feel better and she decided to let go of all apprehensions and just let today take them wherever it did.

She patted the spot next to her in invitation and Draco took it as quickly as he could, happy that she seemed to actually want him next to her. He could tell - from both her own admissions and her actions - that she was starting to fall for him; not nearly as fast as he was falling for her, but it was a vast improvement from her previous disdain and for that he was thankful.

They started in on the food, only now realising their hunger from missing dinner last night in favour of visiting Ginny. They ate in companionable silence, sharing some glances before finishing and stretching themselves out on the numerous pillows; each lying on their backs with their faces turned toward the other.

"Ok, so twenty questions sound good?" Hermione asked, thinking it would probably be the best way to get to know each other. Draco looked at her confused and she then remembered that it was a muggle game he would know nothing about. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly, "it's pretty self explanatory. We each ask ten questions, adding up to twenty in total. When you ask the person they have to answer but in return you have to answer the question as well. It's usually played when trying to get to know someone so I thought it would be perfect for this occasion."

"Okay, but only if I get to ask the first question." He smiled smugly at her and at her nod started the game. "Let's start off simple. What's you're favourite color?"

"Blue. Now you have to answer and then I'll ask my question."

"Alright, mine is green." Hermione laughed. "What?"

"Sure you didn't want to say silver?"

"There is nothing wrong with being proud of your house. However if you must know I like green because it happens to look amazing on you." He smiled as she blushed crimson and looked down to her green shirt.

"Well… next question. What's your favourite pastime?"

"Flying, although I am a bit of a closet reader." ha admitted. She smiled at the fact that they had a love of books in common.

"Well since I'm a very open reader I don't say it'll come as much of a shock to know that reading is my favourite pastime."

"Not really." He teased, causing Hermione to giggle. "My turn! Favourite food…"

They shot questions like this back and forth, making it a hundred questions instead of twenty in their eagerness to learn more about each other. They laughed and shared some insane stories to go along with their answers and found out the numerous things they had in common.

Hermione and Draco both felt their connection deepen and the need to be closer grew stronger. As a result, by the time they had reached their last question Hermione was resting her head on Draco's chest with her arm laying across his waist and Draco was on his back with his arm wrapped around her shoulder; looking down at her as she looked up at him.

"Okay Draco, this is your last question so make it count."

His face became serious and he swallowed hard as he thought about the one question he wanted to ask her but was too afraid to know the answer to. "Do you…" His fear became too much and he chickened out. "Can you ask your question first please?"

Unlike Draco, Hermione knew exactly what question she wanted to ask. "Is the only reason you love me because you're part-veela and I'm your mate? Be honest with me please." She needed to know before she got in any deeper if she meant something to him without the magical connection. She didn't want the only reason he loved her to be because he had no choice but to.

He pulled her closer and started placing kisses on the crown of her head. "Gods no Hermione. Yes, there is part of me that instantly loved you on sight just because of the magical connection we share, but I know how to separate that side and can tell you without a doubt that I am in love with you because you are the single most amazing creature I have ever met on this earth. Draco Malfoy does not become some corny, lame wizard who pulls romantic gestures and disgustingly lovey-dovey phrases out of his ass for just anyone you know." He smiled down at her as she laughed, just as he had hoped she would. "I love you because you're you, not because I have to."

Hermione couldn't help the relief that flooded her body and, before she could stop herself, she kissed him. It was only meant as a light peck but, as soon as their lips touched, sparks flew and heat flooded through her veins. She remembered their first kiss and knew that the feelings she had felt then had only intensified.

Draco, surprised at first, soon took over and dominated her mouth with his tongue, sweeping it before tangling with Hermione's in a frenzied embrace. His hands roamed down her body and settled on holding her hips under her shirt, stroking her with his thumbs.

She moaned and brought her hands, which had rested on his shoulders, to tangle in his hair; holding him tighter to her so that his lips could not escape hers.

Draco became bolder, slowly trailing his hands up under her shirt until they rested on her ribs, just below her chest. He felt himself grow hard at the moans and soft sighs his love was releasing and let forth a growl as she arched into him; seeking the friction only he could give her.

His lips left hers and trailed down her neck, placing hungry kisses along her collar bone and nibbling on her ear lobe.

Hermione became increasingly impatient and needy, removing her hands from the vice like grip she had had in his hair and allowing herself to explore his chest with her hands. Needing to see him, she hastily tugged at his shirt until she managed to pull it off, eliciting a chuckle from him. She soon turned it into a groan as she raked her nails down his back.

He ground into her before once again pulling his weight away. "Stop teasing me Draco." pleading breathlessly, she felt a coil tightening in her stomach and needed him to release it.

"As you wish my love." He continued to grind into her core and even through the layers of material could feel her heat. "Please Hermione, I need to see you."

He took her moan as a sign of assent and swiftly removed her top, staring unabashedly as her lacy red bra was revealed. He leaned forward so that their naked skin was touching and moaned into her ear. "Gods Hermione, you're so beautiful. Do you feel what you do to me?" He pushed against her harder and she became even more vocal.

Pulling his mouth back to her own, she parted his lips with her tongue, getting the chance to do the exploring. She pulled back when she had reached that point of no return and looked straight into his eyes. "Do it Draco, please. Mark me."

His eyes turned black and within an instant his head was in the crook of her neck and his teeth were sinking into her skin, releasing the veela venom and completing the second part of the bonding ritual.

Hermione screamed as pulses shot through her body and Draco shook as they each reached their climax, experiencing pure ecstasy as the magic coursed though their systems.

Exhausted, Draco had just enough energy to roll to the side, pulling an already sleeping Hermione into his arms and covering them both with a blanket, falling into slumber instantly.

Neither had forgotten that Draco still had one question to ask.

* * *

Little bit of lime there at the end. Moving too fast? Maybe. But you should always keep in mind the connection they share with each other isn't normal and is extremely intense compared to normal relationships. Also, if you had Draco Malfoy declaring his love for you wouldn't you jump him? haha. Anyways, reason I split this chapter is because the original one was four parts. Part 1 being this and the other 3 being the side love stories of Blaise/Luna, Ginny/Theodore, and Harry/?. Some have brought it up that they absolutely love the side stories, while others aren't so fond, so I split them. Next chapter is not detrimental to the plot, but it basically gives you a much greater look at what the others are going through as Hermione and Draco find their own way. So if you don't like, you can skip the next chapter, if you do hope you'll enjoy it! New Years resolution is to get at least one update a month with each of my stories so it's up to you guys to help keep me motivated ;)

Happy 2011 everyone!  
~Ingenuity15

PS. There's a poll on my profile for two new stories. I was going to post them January 1st but hardly anyone voted on it so I will be waiting until March 1st now to post them. Go vote please, info is on profile!

PPS. Fun fact! In New York it is a law that citizens may not greet each other by "putting one's thumb to the nose and wiggling the fingers"


	15. Chapter 15

So sorry this took so long! If you've read my profile, you'll know a few of the reasons why. In fact I only just recently got the cast off last week. I would have posted then but I've been writing exams all week and they actually took over my life. However, I'm back now and plan on following the schedule as shown below. All that being said; is no one interested in my fics anymore? Should I even continue with the new ones? I have never had such low review and hit numbers since the very first chapter. And it isn't just with this story, but all three! Either I'm starting to get worse, people have finally realized I kinda suck, or no one is reading fan fiction anymore! Anyways, if you could let me know there are still people out there interested in these things and I'm not just talking to myself that would be much appreciated! If not, well I hope at least one person is enjoying these stories because I will definitely be continuing them until the end!

~Ingenuity15

ria-bee: Ok, so here's my actual reasoning for having him mark Hermione so soon. Technically, even if they hated each other, they've still known each other since they were 11 so they aren't exactly complete strangers going at it just because. Secondly, and this is just how I see it, but the Veela bond is something that's so intense that they would fall apart without each other. It's something that I feel would definitely make their relationship move faster than most as it makes them so much closer than regular couples. And to answer your question, they do have to have sex in order to complete the bonding (third and final step) so I didn't feel so bad by having the second step so soon as they still have to go through a final and much more intimate one in order to belong to each other completely. This, unfortunately for some readers, won't come until much later! Sorry that this chapter isn't going to appeal to you much but I promise to make it up in the next one!

Cissi418: So I'm hoping to be getting in at _least _3 updates a month, not the 1 every 3 months that has been happening recently. As for how long it will be, as of right now I don't have a very clear idea, but I'm thinking something around 25 chapters in total, so about 10 more or so left. My goal is to have all 5 of these stories done by at least the end of summer so wish me luck with that! haha

Here's the new update schedule that will be put into motion as of today!  
Monday - Not So Pure Afterall :)  
Tuesday - Doc Next Door  
Wednesday - Paired With the Devil  
Thursday - Matched for Life  
Friday - Veela Prince

Thanks to everyone for the amazing reviews or even for just adding this to favourites/alerts. You guys are the reason I keep writing :]

**NOTE: **If you want to skip these side stories you can, as it's not mandatory in order to understand the following chapters, but read the very small part four (labelled Bellatrix) because that part does relate to the main story!

* * *

**Blaise/Luna**

It was morning and Luna found herself in the great hall for breakfast, daydreaming of the night before. She couldn't stop the glazed look and excited grin that appeared on her face every time she thought of Blaise and how truly amazing he was. For once in her life, Luna felt like a normal teenage girl and actually wanted to squeal. But that's what Blaise did to her. He made her feel special and normal at the same time, all while letting her be herself and not trying to change a thing. He wanted her for who she was and for no other reason. That was a big part of why she loved him.

If anyone noticed anything different about her, they never mentioned it. She often stared off into space and by now it was just one of the things associated with the name 'Luna Lovegood'. The only difference was instead of the odd and possibly non-existent creatures explored by the Quibbler, she was lost in a daze about a boy.

The owl mail arrived but Luna wasn't bothered by it. She never received anything other than the standard holiday gifts; until today that is. She was shocked when one of the schools owls landed directly in front of her; tied to its claw were a rose and piece of parchment.

Luna removed the gifts with clumsy hands and smiled widely when she recognized the neat, loopy scrawl on the letter:

_A rose could never hold a fraction of your beauty,_  
_Words could not express what you do to my heart,_  
_A dozen roses can't begin to show you my feelings,_  
_But I'll admit, it is a pretty good start._

_~Blaise_

No one had ever written her poetry before, especially in a romantic fashion. She could tell she was grinning like an idiot; but she couldn't care less. She was, however, confused by one part; he had mentioned a dozen roses but she held only one. Luna looked up in hopes of finding the sender of this surprise, but was disappointed to see that Blaise was nowhere to be found.

A few people noticed her mysterious gift and stared at her with curiosity, but said nothing of it as they moved past her. Realizing that time had not stopped while she had been lost in her thoughts and that she was almost the last person remaining in the hall, Luna quickly grabbed her satchel and made her way through the crowded halls to her first class of the day; History Of Magic.

She made it there just before class started and, as was usual, took her place nearest the window so she could continue to daydream of a certain god-like Italian.

As she took out her text to at least look like she was paying attention, something else caught her eye. She didn't know how he had done it, but Blaise had managed to slip another rose and note into her bag. She took out the slip of parchment first and smiled widely as she read it.

_A dozen roses you were promised_  
_And a dozen roses you shall receive_  
_One by one till the sun comes down_  
_Hiding in places you wouldn't believe_

_~Blaise_

So that's the game he was playing. Luna had never been a romantic, but Blaise was certainly turning her into one. She was now beginning to understand why the girls around her acted the way they did towards boys and wondered how long it would be before she was listening to mushy love songs and picking out her future children's names.

Cringing at the thought of ever becoming that girly, Luna looked around to make sure no one had noticed and was relieved to find no eyes were on her. She didn't mind people knowing she was dating Blaise, but she didn't exactly want to announce it either. She wanted to keep this to herself for a while and honestly, it really wasn't anyone else's business.

She sighed and read the note over again, her heart fluttering as she traced the slanted curves of his writing. She thought about how amazing he was being and toyed with the idea that she should do something for him as well. Maybe he would like an invisible higglypiggly for luck…

.~***~.

Throughout the day Luna had received nine more roses and little poems, leaving her with a total of eleven. Blaise wasn't kidding when he said they would be in places she wouldn't believe. She found one taped under her usual desk in transfiguration, one being held by a suit of armour in one of the passageways she thought only she knew about. One even appeared on her plate during lunch as soon as she sat down. It was just before supper now and she hadn't found any in the past two hours. She wondered if she had missed one or if he was just making her anxious on purpose.

Luna didn't have long to worry as waiting for her in front of the doors to the Great Hall was the one who had been on her mind all day. She froze and stared at him as he finally saw her standing there and gave her a panty dropping grin.

He was so sexy it should have been illegal, wearing a pair of black slacks and a white button up that set off his tanned skin in the most amazing way. He was holding a rose and when he realized that she wasn't going to be moving anytime soon, he walked towards her.

Luna didn't notice the people staring at them or the whispers that followed as he stopped in front of her, taking her hand in his and placing a chaste kiss on it. "Sei la mia rosa" he whispered as he handed her the last rose.

It took her a moment to shake herself from her stupor but, when once she had, she merely looked at him in confusion. "Huh?"

Blaise laughed, still holding her hand in his, "I said, you are my rose." She smiled at him and they just stood there like that for a moment, letting their eyes say what they weren't quite ready to.

Blaise was the first to break the connection as he spoke. "Would you like to join me for dinner? I have a surprise planned for you." Luna nodded and entwined their fingers as she was led away from the Great Hall and the many spectators they had attracted.

Blaise led her outside and started walking towards the lake. Luna was curious as to what he had planned but said nothing, just following him while still in a starry-eyed daze.

Suddenly, Blaise turned to face her, forcing her to stop. "Do you trust me?" he asked her, staring deeply into her eyes. Luna could only nod, causing Blaise to grin widely. He stepped behind her and placed his hands lightly over her eyes. Leaning forward, he whispered into her ear, "Good. Walk with me, I won't let you fall."

Luna shivered as his hot breath fanned over the side of her face. She couldn't believe how forward he was being. Not that she didn't enjoy it, in fact she was loving every moment of it, but this just couldn't be the same boy who had been stuttering while talking to her just a few days prior. She wanted to know where this sudden bout of confidence was coming from.

Little did she know that, on the inside, Blaise was so nervous that it was taking everything he had not to shake. He had this entire romantic evening planned out and he was so afraid he would screw things up or that she wouldn't like it that he had begun to second guess himself since she had received the first rose that morning. He had run out of the hall, too afraid to see her expression, and had almost called off the entire thing; until he had seen her walking towards him that is.

His palms were sweating and he still didn't know how she would react, but he figured if he could make her smile like she had when she saw him holding that last rose; every moment of worry would be worth it.

They started walking forward, Blaise carefully picking their path so she didn't trip and, after only a few minutes of walking, he stopped. "Okay Luna, promise to keep your eyes closed and not to peek until I tell you?"

"I promise.

"Okay, I'm going to believe you, but if you peek I'm going to have to do something drastic." Luna giggled as Blaise attempted to sound serious, but failed completely as she could practically hear him smiling.

"I promise. Now let me see why I was practically dragged out here or I'll set the nargles after you." He laughed at her attempt to threaten him and slowly removed his hands from her eyes before positioning himself in front of her.

"Now remember, no peeking!" He took her hands into his own and led her the last few steps to where, he hoped, was an amazing surprise.

"Okay. You can look… now!" Luna immediately opened her eyes and after blinking a few times to readjust her sight, she let out a tiny gasp and brought her hand to her mouth. Set up in front of her, just on the side of the lake, was a blanket surrounded by dozens of floating candles. There were plates of all of her favourite foods and standing off to the side was Blaise who had finally let his nerves take over and was staring at his shuffling feet with pink tinged cheeks.

"Blaise…"

"I know it might be a little much, but I really wanted to take you on a real date with just the two of us. Not out to Hogsmeade with everyone watching us, or somewhere in the castle where anyone could walk in. And, well, since we can't go out anywhere because of the whole danger thing, I got permission from Dumbledore so that we could stay out here and be by ourselves. But if I was being too presumptuous or you absolutely hate it, we could go inside and do something else and I swear to never try to come up with anything else. So, um, yeah, I'm rambling now and I'm just going to shut up before I make a bigger fool of myself…" He was stuttering by the end of it and about to just pack everything up and call it a night, but was stopped when a small hand carefully stroked his cheek and tilted his face to look into the pair of gorgeous blue eyes that never failed to pull him into their depths.

"Blaise, this is amazing. No one has ever done anything even remarkably close to this for me before and I absolutely love it. You're amazing Blaise, so stop second guessing yourself because I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me too." They smiled at each other while having another silent conversation with their eyes.

Slowly, Blaise brought his hand up to gently cup her cheek and leaned forward until his lips brushed softly against hers. Luna shivered slightly as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. Although the kiss was rather chaste, it was filled with promises and a deep passion.

Blaise pulled away and caressed her cheek with his thumb while a soft smile played across his lips. "You're going to be stuck with me forever then I'm afraid."

**Ginny/Theo**

Ginny was bored out of her mind as she stared at the wall ahead of her. Propped up against the pillows on her bed in the hospital wing, it had been hours since she last had any visitors and it was final taking its toll on her.

She was a talker and sitting alone with nothing but silence for company was slowly driving her insane. If it was up to her, she would have been discharged ages ago, but Madam Pomfrey wanted to keep her there for observation and no one could argue with her. Not that it would do any good if they did.

Letting out what had to be the millionth sigh in the past hour, Ginny resigned herself to trying to sleep the time away.

Just as she was about to lay down, movement to her right surprised her. She watched with curiosity as the door opened and if she had been surprised by the possibility of a visitor, it was nothing compared to what she felt when the identity of that guest was revealed.

Walking shyly towards her was none other than her saviour; Theodore Nott.

He came to a standstill at the foot of her bed and shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked at her. All Ginny could do was gape at him, and as it was apparent that she wasn't about to say anything, Theo cleared his throat to get rid of the silence. "Hey."

Ginny shook her head to clear it and once she did, she realized this was her chance to get to know the elusive Slytherin who had not only saved her life, but had captured her romantic interest. "Hey to you too. You can sit down if you want. I've been stuck here all day with nothing to do and no one to talk to so you coming to see me is a huge relief."

She said it all with one breath and looked on as he silently sat in the chair and gazed at her expectantly, a slight smirk playing across his lips.

"So, why are you here? I mean, I don't mind, in fact I rather appreciate the visit, but it's not like we're friends or anything." She looked at him quizzically, but started talking again before he could reply. "Not that I don't want to be friends with you, it's just that we've never really hung out before, you know? We could definitely be friends if you want to… Though if we're going to try this whole amigo thing between us, we should get to know each other a little better. Starting with all those questions like favourite color, food, etc. I'm rather partial to red myself…"

Ginny could tell that she was ranting nervously but, try as she might, she just couldn't seem to stop. She was so busy thinking about how embarrassed she was to be rambling in front of this gorgeous Slytherin, that she completely missed the look of absolute adoration he was blatantly giving her.

Theo had never met anyone like Ginny and he knew he never would. They were polar opposites; while she was loud, he was quiet; while she enjoyed being in the middle of everything, Theo enjoyed sinking into the background and observing. The thing was, no matter how different they were, he was undeniably attracted to her.

Throughout her one-sided conversation, Theo hung off her every word and couldn't help but smile as she revealed so many random things about herself. With every little thing he learned, he wanted to know more, and he knew that he would never know enough.

"Well Teddy, can I call you Teddy? Theodore is just too long and Theo isn't special enough. If we're going to be friends then I need to have some sort of nickname for you. Although, can I be honest with you? I wouldn't mind being more than friends with you. You're so intriguing, not to mention extremely hot. Shit! I did not mean to say that out loud. Can we just forget I said anything? I'm sorry, I've been talking for ages and haven't let you get a word in, I just can't seem to stop talking and…"

He shushed her by placing his finger over her lips. Warmth spread throughout her body and she could feel a tingling from where his skin touched her own.

"Ginny, will you go out with me?"

"Like on a date?"

His rumbling laughter sent shocks through her body as he nodded, "Yes like on a date."

Ginny couldn't contain her excitement and practically launched herself at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Yes!" she squealed as she hugged him tightly, grinning broadly the whole time.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm and hugged her back.

"Now about that nickname… Can't you come up with something a bit more manly than Teddy?"

**Harry/?**

Harry stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked around the lake, thinking about everything that was going on. With the whole Bellatrix thing keeping everyone occupied and everyone finding that special someone, Harry couldn't help but feel lonely. He thought everything had finally settled down after the war had ended, only to discover that they were on the verge of fighting a second one.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the girl ahead of him until he was practically on top of her. He stumbled for a moment but was able to keep the both of them upright.

"Oh. Hello Harry."

"Hello Cho." Harry groaned internally as the girl who had been semi stalking him for two years stared at him adoringly and refused to take a hint and let go of his arm. He tried to look anywhere but at her, hoping to send the signal that he really wasn't interested, only to find his attention averted to the girl standing beside her whom he hadn't seen before.

Cho noticed his obvious ogling and coldly introduced him. "Harry this is…"

"Gabrielle. It's nice to see you again. What are you doing here at Hogwarts?" Ignoring the huffing Cho beside him, Harry finally freed his arm and turned to the beautiful blonde haired, blue eyed, french girl he had saved at the Triwizard Tournament just three years ago. She had grown since then and he found himself instantly attracted to her. There was just something about her that made it impossible to take his eyes off of her.

"Bonjour Harry. C'est aussi bon de te voir encore. Je suis une nouvelle étudiante ici. Comment ça va?" She spoke her native language so fluently and Harry lost himself in her musical voice. He could only find one problem with the words she had just spoken

"I'm sorry, I have no idea what you just said."

Gabrielle giggled before translating for him. "It is very nice to see you again too Harry. I'm a new student. A transfer I believe you call it? How are you today?" Her english was slightly broken but much improved since their last meeting.

Before he could respond, they were interrupted by a screeching next to them as a forgotten Cho broke out into tears.

"You… and her… what about me?" She wailed. When the other two merely stared at her she turned on her heals and fled.

"Well, that was interesting…" Harry trailed off and Gabrielle sighed beside him.

"She was supposed to show me Hogwarts. Now how am I supposed to find my way around?" She pouted and Harry couldn't believe his luck. This was one opportunity he was not about to pass up.

"Well Mademoiselle, you're in luck. I just happen to be the best guide this school has ever seen. Shall we?" He presented his arm for her to take, and she did so willingly; giggling at his antics.

Harry had a feeling that he wasn't going to be the odd man out for very long.

**Bellatrix**

She stood above him as he bowed before her in reverence. The sadistic smile on her face grew as he begged for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry my Queen. I did not see anyone else around and thought I had been careful when capturing the Weasley girl. How was I to know that there was another blood traitor watching?" He pleaded with her but knew it was of no use.

"Rodolphus, Rodolphus… What am I to do with you?" Bellatrix was circling him now, her voice carrying throughout the room and reverberating back to her and the dozen Death Eaters who watched on silently.

"Crucio." He whimpered silently, but otherwise remained silent, biting his lip until it bled so as not to scream. The one thing he had learned; the more you screamed, the more she tortured you.

"Now, tell me what you have learned before I have you put in the dungeons and I may just go easier on your punishment."

Everyone knew that would never happen.

"He never leaves her alone my Queen. Not even for a moment. And now, with my failure and with the threat of your note, all of them are being cautious. None of them are leaving the castle and they're all staying close together. I don't see any way to get to them my Queen." He was hoping his news didn't anger her too much as she was one to shoot the messenger, however, she shocked them all by laughing gleefully.

"Perfect. This is absolutely perfect! It's going exactly as I planned. That little mudblood bitch and the traitor will be mine soon. Very soon."

* * *

So there you go! Sorry for the long delay, but expect this to be updated every Monday from here on out (give or take one week of the month to catch up on all of the writing). So I know there wasn't any Draco/Hermione which a lot of people may be disappointed about, but you will get your fill next chapter! I just really wanted to give these guys their moment to shine, you know? And I also realize that the Blaise/Luna section is huge in comparison to the others, but Blaise is my second favourite male character (after Draco of course!) so he needed a bigger section about how sweet he is! Completely different from the cocky potty mouth in the beginning huh? That's what love will do to you though! Don't worry, he will still act like he first did when he's around Draco, just not while he's around the one person who makes him nervous. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and continue to follow along! The big action is coming up soon so prepare yourself!

Back on track,  
~Ingenuity15

Also, it's 3:30am while I'm finishing this up and although I've gone over it a few times, I'm not sure how well my hazy eyes can edit this thing. I would have waited to post it, but I think you've all waited long enough! Let me know if there are any major mistakes for me to fix up. Thanks for reading :)

And one last thing; I can't remember how old Gabrielle was in the books, but for the sake of this story we're going to say that she's only one year behind Harry. And although I've been taking french for years, I am truly terrible at it, so I'm sorry if it was horribly incorrect. If the Italian was bad however, you can blame the book of italian love phrases that I got it from haha.


	16. Chapter 16

Hey everyone. I'm back from an unexpected trip I had to take so here's hoping I can start up these regular updates for good this time. So, no one picked up on something from chapter fourteen (although I can't blame you since it goes back to things mentioned in the very first chapter) that I threw in there and so prewarning to the twist coming up; although not telling you what it is so you're going to have to read to find out!

~Ingenuity15

Thanks to everyone who has been supporting me through reviews and those who have added this to their alerts/favorites or have added me as an author to their alerts/favorites. It really means a lot to me and it's what keeps me posting!

Enjoy this next chapter :)

* * *

Hermione felt drained as she tried to remember what had happened. The first thing she realised was that she was definitely not sleeping in her bed. The next was that there was a warm pair of arms holding her tightly. They felt nice wrapped around her and she didn't want to move; so she snuggled closer.

Her mind was foggy and her eyes felt so heavy that she couldn't even contemplate trying to open them. Though she still felt tired, she could not get back to sleep, and so she fought the heavy haze that stopped her thoughts. Slowly, she started to recall the events that had taken place earlier; waking up with Draco, breakfast, twenty questions, making out…

"They're so cute. I don't want to wake them." Hermione's eyes shot open as she realised that she wasn't alone in the room.

She tried to sit up but was restrained by the arms tightening around her. "Stop moving Granger. They'll go away eventually." Draco murmured into her hair as he inhaled her scent.

"We know you're awake son. We have some things to discuss, although I must congratulate you on completing your bond. I thought it was going to take much longer than this. Although I would appreciate it if you and Miss Granger would make yourselves decent for our company."

Hermione blushed at Lucius' comment as she realised she was only in her bra and that her shirt was in a pile with Draco's. She pulled the blanket up further until it was tucked under her chin while Draco merely laughed and got up to gather their clothes.

He flung Hermione her shirt before pulling on his own and replying to his father. "Better now? And although the position we were in could be considered compromising, we haven't completed our bond; merely the second step of the ritual."

Draco looked up from where he had been fixing his shirt, only to have the grin fall from his face. His father had lost his cold mask for a moment and Draco saw a flash of what looked like fright cross his eyes. "If you only completed the second step, than why does Miss Granger have the clear indentations of fangs on her neck?"

"What do you mean? We were snogging and I bit her. The second step is marking right?"

"You weren't supposed to bite her yet! The marking is supposed to be an external thing! The veela venom wasn't supposed to be injected until the final moments of the bonding ritual while consummating! Did you just ignore me when I explained this to you? I don't even understand how this happened. You aren't even supposed to grow fangs yet! This isn't acceptable!"

Draco was shocked. He had never seen his father lose control of his emotions and it honestly frightened him. If Lucius was openly panicking than obviously something was terribly wrong.

"So what's going to happen?" Hermione questioned in a shaky voice. All of this was still fairly new to her and, with all of the things happening around them, she hadn't had time to go to the library. Hermione was exploring new territory with little knowledge and it made her nervous and anxious.

"I honestly do not know. I am unaware of this ever happening before. I'm going to have to do some of my own research to find out. Until then, don't do anything else stupid Draco." With a flash of robes Lucius strode out of the room. The remaining three were rooted in place as, for the first time in history, Lucius Malfoy lost his cool.

"I should probably go check on him…" Narcissa trailed off as she broke the silence that had stretched between them. She made to leave but Hermione stopped her.

"Wait, Mrs. Malfoy! Was there a reason you two came here?"

"Oh yes, how could I have forgotten? I'm afraid there's just no good news for you two today…" she released a sigh and sank gracefully onto one of the chairs. "We've received some more information pertaining to Bellatrix."

Draco growled at the name and was instantly at Hermione's side, pulling her into his protective embrace and forming a sort of shield around her body.

"Oh calm down Draco. There is no danger in this room so let the poor girl go."

He slowly relaxed as he let his senses confirm the truth in her words and sat with a groan on the couch, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Reflex. Please continue." Although he was calmed he still reached for Hermione's hand and pulled her so that she was seated at his side.

"If there are no more needless interruptions," she shot her son a look and he returned it sheepishly. "The Order managed to capture one of Bellatrix's followers and although he's not exactly high up in the chain, what he was able to tell us is not promising. Apparently getting a hold of you two is her top priority and she has every single person following her looking for a way to achieve this. She's also becoming bolder in her actions. She attacked a muggle village this morning and left it all in ruins. There weren't any survivors."

Hermione gasped in horror and turned her head into Draco's chest. He rubbed her back soothingly but was unable to stop her shaking which tore him up inside. The normally brave Gryffindor was horrified at what had happened to all those innocent people and he could do nothing to fix it. So he just held her.

Narcissa looked upon the two with sympathy and made her leave to give them some time alone to process all of the information. "We just wanted to warn you two to be extra careful. Also, I was planning on having you both visit over Christmas holidays but we all think it would be best if you stayed at the castle. It would probably be safer."

Draco nodded at his mother in acknowledgement but it was absent minded as all of his attention was focused on his mate. He faintly heard the click of the portrait closing but gave it no mind as he pulled Hermione closer so that she was curled on his lap and rocked her back and forth while whispering soothing words into her ear.

After what felt like hours, Hermione finally calmed down and lifted her tearstained face to Draco's worried one, her eyes filled with determination. "I'm not going to let her get away with this. Once was enough, I will not go through another war. I will not live every day wondering if I'm going to lose someone or if this is really the end. I just won't."

"There's no I anymore Hermione. Anything you're going to do, I will be right there with you. We'll get through this together but we're going to have to do it one step at a time. We can't do anything about Bellatrix yet, short of walking straight into a trap, and that would do more harm than good, so we're going to have to wait."

"That's the worst part though, isn't it? The waiting." She whispered and curled herself further into his arms. Draco kissed the top of her head but didn't answer her; knowing it meant as a rhetorical question.

"We still have to discuss the whole marking thing you know." Draco broke the silence. He had no idea what the effects would be of his injecting the venom into his mate before he was supposed to, but he could admit to himself that he was terrified.

"I know less on this topic than you do Draco, which is something hard to admit, but I plan on going to the library to do my own research. Hopefully either your father or I will find something to help give us a clear idea of what happened. Before I do that though, we really need to talk about something…" Draco got a bad feeling in his stomach as Hermione extracted herself from his lap and settled on the other side of the couch so that she was facing him with her arms wrapped around her knees.

"What about?" He asked reluctantly.

Hermione picked up on his nervousness and reached over to take hold of one of his hands, giving him an encouraging smile. "It's nothing too bad, it's just… I think we need to slow things down. I know this whole veela-bond thing is strong and it's going to make things move at a faster pace, but I'm still getting used to it Draco. I mean, do you know how hard it is for me to remember how things used to be between us and then try to comprehend what's happening between us now? It doesn't make sense and it makes it harder to be open to all of these new things I'm feeling towards you. I really think we need to just take a step back and not get ahead of ourselves. Can you do that for me?" She looked at him pleadingly and he knew that he would never be able to tell her no.

"I'm not going to lie and tell you that it will be easy for me; because it won't. But I would do anything to make you more comfortable with everything that is happening. You set up what boundaries you need and I'll take my cues from you. From now on you control the pace we take this." He still held her hand in his and was stroking it with his thumb. She sighed contentedly and smiled in relief at his acceptance.

"Okay, so this is what I was thinking. I'll still stay with you at night because I know neither of us would get any sleep otherwise," it was Draco's turn to be relieved as he released the breath he didn't know he was holding, "and you can still hold me when the veela side of you needs that contact, but no more kissing until I'm one hundred percent certain of all of this. We both tend to get a little carried away with that, obviously. And wipe that self-satisfied smirk off your face Draco Malfoy! I'm serious; there will be no snogging going on until I say so."

"Oh, I won't start it, but you didn't say anything about not tempting you to jump me. I mean, have you seen these lips? They were made for being kissed! They're perfect for kissing!" Hermione rolled her eyes but felt her lips tug into a smile at the corners.

"It's not going to work Draco. One more thing I want to add though. I don't care what's going on, we're going to sit down and talk for at least an hour every day. This way we can get to know each other and I'll feel more comfortable knowing that you really have changed and that our future won't be anything like our past." She looked down sadly and Draco couldn't help but pull her back into his arms.

"It won't be. I was an idiot back then to not see how amazing you are, and although I may still have my moments, I won't lose you now that I know what we could have. Can I be honest with you? Between Bellatrix, my screwing up of the bonding ritual and the possibility of you possibly rejecting me, I really don't know what to freak out over the most." He let out a humourless chuckle before pushing Hermione off the couch and towards the portrait that led to the hall. "Now go, I know you're just itching to go to the library and I know you're not going to let me go hover over you. Just please be back by a decent hour so I don't worry to death. Malfoys do not enjoy pacing."

Hermione smiled at his understanding and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. Draco watched and just sat in the empty room for a half hour, finally deciding that if he didn't do something, he was going to start moping.

He walked up to his room and opened the drawer that held the gift Blaise gave him for his birthday.

_Blaaaaaise, I'm going crazy. Get your bloody arse up here to talk to me._

Draco went back to sitting on the couch in the commons. He had given up on his friend when he received no reply ten minutes later but was brought out of his misery by a knock on the portrait. Opening it, he revealed Blaise who was holding two butterbeers.

At Draco's questioning look, Blaise merely shrugged at him. "Sounded like you could use one." he stated as he made his way into the room, making himself comfortable. "So are you going to spill or am I going to have to drag it out of you one syllable at a time?"

Draco took the drink offered to him gratefully and took a large swig of it before telling Blaise everything that had happened that day. By the time he had finished Blaise was staring wide eyed with his jaw practically hitting the floor.

Draco looked at him expectantly but was taken aback as Blaise began to chuckle which soon turned into a full blown laughing fit that had him rolling on the floor in tears. "You… bit her… She tells y-you to mark… her and you si-sink your teeth into her like a fu-fucking cannibal… Way to not even get your instincts right." He sat up and wiped the tears from his face as Draco watched, clearly not amused.

"Shut the fuck up Zabini, this could be something serious! I mean, what if injecting her with the venom this soon means we can't complete the bond? Or what if it causes her pain? What if I've hurt her? What if…" His ramblings were stopped by Blaise's hand over his mouth.

"Stop Draco, you're going to hurt yourself overthinking this. You're going to listen to me and calm down, ok? If I move my hand now, do you promise to keep quiet and let me speak?" Draco nodded and Blaise carefully dropped his arm. "Much better. Now, as to all your worries, well there's no point fretting over them. Your father or Hermione will find something about the whole bonding thing and there's nothing you can do about Bellatrix until the Order can get more information. Besides, your girl is safe here in the castle, so relax and stop driving yourself mental over things out of your control."

"Lovegood's got you going soft, you know that?" Draco smirked and dodged the blow Blaise tried to deal him to the back of the head.

"Yeah, well that's the last time I'm trying to help you out. From now on all of my kindness is being saved for Luna and not your sad arse." They settled back into their chairs and the mood lightened substantially.

"So I take it things are going well on your end then?" It had been a long time since they had just hung out and Draco found that he had actually missed his best mate quite a bit. It was time they caught up on everything that had been happening.

"Yeah, everything is perfect. She's perfect." Blaise sighed dreamily.

Draco chuckled, but wasn't about to mock his best friend. Merlin knows he probably looked like that when he was thinking about Hermione. "That's good to know. Glad to know you finally got the balls to ask her out. I was starting to wonder whether you were batting for the other team, though who could blame you when you have this piece of godliness for a best mate."

Blaise chucked a pillow at him, laughing, and for the next while they talked Quidditch before moving back to the subject of their girls. It wasn't until the clock above the mantle struck midnight that Draco began to worry. Hermione had been gone for a long time now and he was starting to worry. Blaise picked up on his sudden tenseness and didn't find it hard to figure out the cause.

"Why don't you go check on Hermione? I'm sure I can show myself out."

Draco didn't have to be told twice. He practically ran all the way to the library; finding it completely dark and empty. He tried to remain calm but the longer he searched the stacks to no avail, the harder it was to not panic. He was losing his mind as he frantically turned around the very last shelf and froze.

Happiness and relief poured through his veins as he stared upon his mate. There were stacks of books around her and she was slumbering peacefully as her head rested on the pages of whatever she had been reading. The flame of the lantern she had sat on the table had dwindled down so that it barely illuminated the space surrounding them.

A small smile flitted across his face as he took in how absolutely _angelic_ she looked. He crept quietly towards her and carefully lifted her so that he was carrying her bridal style, blowing out the lantern and marking her page as he left.

The walk back to their dorm felt much too short and Draco was soon tucking Hermione into his bed after taking off her socks and shoes. He would have tried to change her into something more comfortable but was sure that that would be doing the opposite of 'going slow'. He also didn't trust himself to keep his hands to himself if any of her delectable body was revealed to him.

As he was about to climb in after her, something caught his eye. There, on his bedside table, was a small box. Approaching it carefully, he picked up the note attached to it first.

_Works for us, so thought it might come in handy to keep control of your possessive arse. And I am not becoming a sap, so don't even think it!_

_-Blaise_

Draco laughed as he read Blaise's familiar scrawl and opened the package to find a silver anklet and wrist cuff. He assumed the cuff was for himself and the anklet was for Hermione but was confused as to why Blaise would give them these.

He flipped the cuff over and broke out into a smile as he saw the clear indent of a button. Sure enough, when he looked closer at the anklet, he could see the small button residing there as well. Blaise was a genius.

He now had a way of communicating with Hermione whenever he wanted and she had a way to instantly get a hold of him if she was in danger or in need of something.

Blaise would be getting a really nice Christmas gift that year.

* * *

So what do you think? Not much going on in this one (well, a few things) but you always need filler chapters. And what do you think is going to happen with the whole bonding ritual screw up? You'll get all of (or most of) the answers to that next chapter, but I wanted to leave you with some kind of suspense. I was actually going to end it when he turned the corner and froze, but you guys have been waiting so long for this chapter, so I didn't want to leave you with a cliffy like that. I also wanted to show you the two sides of Blaise that I imagined. The sweet, romantic, nervous, side when he's with Luna (which you saw last chapter) and the confident, joking, unfiltered, side of him when he's with his boy, Draco. Love to hear what you think about this chapter, and just know that next chapter is going to be long (already have 10 pages written for it and not even half done; most of these chapters are only 6-8 pages) and explain A LOT of what's going on. Just so you know, there's only going to be about 25 chapters in this fic so we're coming to a close (though there may be more depending on how far into their lives I plan on going). Thanks to everyone for getting this thing to over 100 000 hits, here's hoping we can possibly hit 600 reviews by the time I'm finished? Not too unrealistic! Let me know what you're thinking, or hoping to see in later chapters and I'll see what I can do!

Happy May 24 weekend!  
~Ingenuity15


	17. Chapter 17

Hey everyone! I know I suck, but my best friend is getting married and I'm her maid of honour! It's lovely, but a lot more work than I expected. She wants to get married by the end of July, so until then I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to update. This means I will be ignoring my schedule (not that I've been doing well with it anyways) and just post whenever I have the chance. This is a very long chapter and it actually took me forever to write, but a lot happens so be prepared! Thanks to everyone who has been supporting my writing and hope you all enjoy this chapter!

~Ingenuity15

Zammielover: Thank you for your long review and I'm glad I could inspire you to continue in your own writing. I know what it's like to have a story I really love never be updated again and it really does suck. That's why no matter how long it takes me to pop out an update, there will always be one until a fic is completed. Hope you continue enjoying this story and thank you for your suggestions. I'll certainly keep them in mind for later chapters :)

dracosgirl007: I could never forget about all of you reading my fics! I hope this answers your question about when the next chapter will be up ;) haha

Thanks to everyone once again for the reviews and hope you all still like me by the end of this chapter!

_Draco's thoughts_

**Hermione's thoughts**

_**Blaise's thoughts**_

* * *

Draco and Hermione were cuddled on the couch the next morning as he explained the gift Blaise had left for them.

"So, all I have to do is push this button and you'll be able to hear what I'm thinking?" Hermione inquired as she held the anklet, studying it curiously. She had never heard of a charm that could do that and it was bothering her. It had to be some complicated combination of different spells…

"I know it seems kind of out there, even for magic, but Blaise has always been good with inventing things. Kind of like the Weasley twins and their ability to make joke items. You can ask him how he did it if you like, but I doubt he's going to share. In fact, I think he'd enjoy keeping some information away from Ms. Know-it-all." Hermione stuck her tongue out at him and laughed as he pretended to grab it.

She finally put the anklet on and studied it for a moment. It was a beautiful silver chain with a charm shaped like a book attached to it. She twisted it to see the light glimmer off of it before tucking her legs underneath her and curling further into Draco's arms. Although they had decided to go slower, she decided having his arms around her like this felt too good to pull away.

"Put this on me please?" Draco pouted as he held the cuff out to Hermione. She rolled her eyes at him but still took it and grasped his hand in hers. He sighed and closed his eyes as her fingers softly glided over his hand. The sensation sent bolts of pleasure through him and it took everything he had to stay in control and not jump her.

He finally felt the cool leather of the cuff wrap around his wrist as Hermione snapped it into place and then flipped his arm around to admire it for a moment. It was black and had a silver engraving of the Slytherin house crest, the only colour being the green eye of the snake which was actually the button that activated the device.

"So, I've been thinking…" Hermione began as she continued to examine the cuff.

"Is there ever a time when you're not?" Draco asked innocently, then groaned as he received an elbow to the ribs.

"As I was saying…" Hermione continued, "I've been thinking that we should probably go down to the Great Hall for lunch today."

Draco was about to protest when Hermione held up her hand to signal his silence was to be continued.

"It's just, we've been living in our own little bubble for a few days now, and I haven't actually been to any classes since the third, though I did manage to get the homework done while in the Hospital wing. I know we've been excused from going to classes for the next few days in order to cope with everything going on, but it would probably be best to at least get used to being surrounded by people again. Though I'm really not eager for the staring that's bound to occur…" She trailed off and there was a moment of silence before Draco spoke.

"If it would make you feel better to go down there then I will; but if you feel even the slightest bit of discomfort and want to leave don't hesitate to let me know and we will come right back here."

"Deal."

Draco, as always though, needed to have his last word. "And just so we're clear, I'd much rather just stay here."

Hermione laughed at him but otherwise ignored his comment, dragging him off the couch and out into the corridor. He held tightly onto her hand as he felt her anxiety. She may have pretended to be perfectly fine, but there were double the stares and whispers that they had received while going to Hogsmeade. By this point in time everyone had heard that Draco and Hermione were an item, and with the news of the attack on Ginny still fresh in everyone's mind, they all wanted to know what Hermione did about it.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" Hermione whispered to Draco as they stepped into the Great Hall which had suddenly gone quiet.

He chuckled and kissed her on the head before shooing her towards where Luna was waving her down. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me."

Hermione huffed indignantly at him and stormed off, Draco laughing under his breath as he made his way over to where Blaise sat at the Slytherin table.

"What was that about?" Blaise asked him, his voice laced with amusement.

"Just riling her up is all. She still hates when I'm right about something that she was wrong about."

Hermione managed to hold out throughout the entire lunch and Draco managed to not drag her away when some overly concerned males decided to check in on how she was doing while her best friend was in the hospital wing. If it hadn't been for Blaise holding him back though, people would have been hurt.

As soon as everyone started clearing out to head to their next classes, Draco hastily made his way to Hermione's side. Once he held her hand, calm surrounded him and he no longer felt the need to rush her away. Instead, he waited patiently for her to finish her conversation with Luna before dragging her back to their dorms.

They did their own thing in the afternoon before sitting down for an hour to just talk. One hour turned into two and two hours eventually turned into three. Although it started off slightly awkward, they soon found themselves laughing freely with one another. They started off where they had stopped when playing twenty-questions (though Draco refused to tell her what his last question had been) and ended up just telling each other stories about their earlier Hogwarts years.

They never talked about their past encounters with each other or anything serious like the war, wanting to just enjoy each other's company.

They fell into a comfortable silence and Draco was just about to ask Hermione what she was thinking when he realised that she had fallen asleep. He gently picked her up, so as not to wake her, and brought her to his room; tucking her in and then sliding into the other side, pulling her into his embrace.

This was a nightly ritual that he was beginning to look forward to.

.~***~.

One month passed and by that time Hermione and Draco had finally managed to establish a somewhat normal routine. On school days they would wake up, wrapped in each other's arms, before separating to get ready for the day. They would walk down together to the Great Hall for breakfast and then split to sit at their house tables. Draco would eventually get too anxious and gather Hermione to walk her to their shared classes and they would stay together until they once again parted ways for lunch. After spending the afternoon classes together they would return to their commons and do whatever work they had received that day – Draco trying to distract Hermione the whole time – and at around six a house elf would bring them dinner and they would spend the next hour - or the next few - talking and getting to know one another even better.

Weekends were much the same but instead of classes they would walk the grounds or spend time with their friends; sometimes in a large group and other times apart. They were both happy that their friends had all found someone special and easily welcomed Gabrielle and Theo into the circle.

Just as Hermione asked, they took things much slower. Though they cuddled and Draco hardly ever let go of her hand, they really didn't share anything more affectionate than a hug; though Hermione wasn't aware of the gentle kiss Draco would place on her forehead every night as she slept.

It was Wednesday, October 21st; exactly thirty-one days since they first discovered that something had gone wrong with the second part of their bonding ritual. Draco and Hermione were sitting in their History of magic class; Hermione taking careful notes and Draco staring at her, trying to divert her attention with his intense gaze.

They were no longer stared at by the other students, their relationship losing its novelty as time went on and nothing else out of the ordinary happened. By now they were just like any other couple. Almost.

"Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy, Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you in his office. Follow me." Came Professor McGonagall's voice from the open classroom doorway.

Both Draco and Hermione looked to each other, confusion shining in their eyes, but quickly went to follow McGonagall who was, by now, half way down the corridor.

They sped up their steps until they fell in line behind her. Except for the click of their shoes on the floor, the halls were completely silent. Hermione and Draco were both pondering exactly what this meeting was about, but both were coming up blank.

"Blowpops"

McGonagall stepped aside and allowed them to ascend the spiral stairs up to Dumbledore's office. Knocking on the giant wood doors, they were both granted entrance and stepped into the room, surprised to find that they weren't the only ones visiting the Headmaster.

"Ah, Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy, please, take a seat." Dumbledore indicated the chairs in front of his desk and then directed their attention towards Lucius who was standing in front of the fireplace. "Mr. Malfoy here has found out some information I'm sure you'll be interested in hearing. I'll leave you all to talk in private, please feel free to help yourself to some lemon drops." He left the room swiftly and no one spoke for a while; Hermione and Draco watching Lucius carefully and Lucius staring into the fire intently.

"It took me over two weeks to find a veela colony and just over another week to earn their trust," Lucius started saying, still not looking at the other two occupants in the room. "Turns out that what happened to you two, though uncommon, isn't very rare."

"Well that's good then right? That means we have nothing to worry about." At the lack of confirmation from his father Draco grew nervous.

"That's not quite true son. It's not necessarily a bad thing but it will affect you both." He knew he had their attention and so he continued. "Once every century a bond like yours occurs and the couple bonded will be stronger than what is normal. Once you've been fully bonded your spirits will literally bind themselves together and your magic abilities will combine. You will each have the capabilities of the other and will be extremely powerful in that way. There is a change in the ritual as well. When you bit Hermione, Draco, you were marking her as your other half, the one who holds the other part of your soul. Hermione must now to the same once you two complete the final part of the bonding."

"You mean… I have to bite him?" Hermione asked, a look of disgust marring her face. Draco didn't seem to be too opposed to the idea however and looked rather pleased at the latest development.

"It's not that bad Hermione. I'll even scrub my neck extra clean before you sink your teeth in." He winked at her and laughed at her indignant huff. She tried to move away from him but was swiftly pulled back to his side before she was even a foot away. Knowing she couldn't get away and that Draco wasn't about to let her go, Hermione crossed her arms in frustration, refusing to return the look Draco was giving her.

Lucius had finally turned away from the fire and watched the two in amusement. He knew no one would make his son's life more difficult than the girl currently in his arms, but he also knew that no one would make him happier.

The three stayed and discussed the details a little longer and talked about the benefits they would have because of it. Lucius explained how this only happened to couples who were destined by the stars for greatness and only to two who were truly made for each other. This got Hermione thinking that maybe, just maybe, this thing between her and Draco could really be something if she stopped running from it and started to embrace it instead.

It was worth a try.

.~***~.

It was the following Saturday after Lucius had told them everything he had found out and Draco was in their commons pacing. He had recruited Ginny, Luna, and Gabrielle to keep Hermione busy for the past few hours while he made sure everything was perfect and now he was anxiously awaiting her return.

That previous Tuesday had marked a month since their first kiss and, though Draco wanted to kick himself for being such a girl about it, he wanted to do something special to celebrate. Since they had classes all week, Draco had decided to wait until that day to do something. He had received the gift he had ordered for her this morning and he had just finished lighting the candles he had floating sporadically throughout the room.

The entire space had been emptied and a single table was placed in the middle. It was set with a pure white cloth and there were two empty plates on either side of a bouquet of roses. He had asked the house elves who had helped him to set it up much like the great hall where the food wouldn't appear until he cued for it.

He had never tried to do anything this romantic in his life, even going so far as to sprinkle the ground with flower petals. He didn't want her to feel like he was rushing her to make their relationship go forward, but he did want her to know that he was completely serious about making this work.

"Alright, I'll see you guys later!" He heard her voice in the corridor and froze, anticipating her reaction. He didn't have to wait long as she walked through the portrait and stood still, rooted to the spot as she surveyed the room.

Her bewildered eyes landed on him and she seemed at a loss for words as her lips parted but no sound came out.

"Surprise?" Draco said finally, though it came out as more of a question. She still didn't say anything and so he began to ramble nervously. "Well, I'm not sure if you remembered, or even if you've been keeping track, but this past Tuesday marked exactly thirty-one days since our first kiss, and well, I kind of wanted to celebrate. I guess you could call this an anniversary dinner as it was also the same day that you accepted me and we completed the first part of the bonding. But if this is too much or pushing some kind of boundary I can have it cleared out in no time, I mean..." He was so nervous that he hadn't noticed her nearing him until her hand clasped over his mouth, silencing him.

"So what are we having for supper?" She smiled at him and she could feel his answering grin stretching under her hand. She removed it and moved toward the table but was stopped.

"First things first, I got you a little something..." He had never been this unnerved in his life, but then again, he knew it was only Hermione who could make him so unsure of himself.

"But I don't have anything for you…" Hermione trailed off as Draco shook his head at her.

"I didn't do all of this because I expected anything in return Hermione. You not running away and sticking with me even though I haven't always been the most pleasant guy to be around is gift enough." Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as he smiled at her with such a deep adoration that she had never seen from anyone. He really did love her and she finally believed that fact. "Here, open it."

She accepted the carefully wrapped package he eagerly handed to her and opened it. She uncovered what looked to be a jewel case and hoped he hadn't spent a fortune on a diamond necklace or something of the sort. With a little encouragement from Draco, she slowly lifted the lid and gasped. Inside was a stunning feather quill. She pulled it from the padding and timidly held it to the light, entranced as it seemed to shimmer with a thousand different colors.

"It's gorgeous Draco." She could see his smile widen as he obviously took pleasure from her approval.

"It's self-inking and won't stain your clothes or hands. It also dries instantly so that you never have to wait to roll your parchment. I knew your other ones were getting tatty and I also knew you'd probably prefer something more practical that you'd get some use out of. I saw it and immediately thought of you." He was surprised when Hermione threw her arms around his neck, but hugged her back within a second; accepting the embrace all too willingly.

"I love it, Draco. Thank you." She squeezed him harder before releasing herself from his grasp, which he reluctantly allowed her to do.

He led her over to the table and, like a gentleman, he held her chair out for her before seating himself. They went through dinner in companionable silence, occasionally talking about whatever was on their mind but mostly allowing the quiet to sooth them. As soon as dessert was finished soft music began to play and Hermione looked up to find Draco standing next to her with an outstretched hand.

"Dance with me?" He implored. She placed her hand in his and permitted him to pull her away from the table, placing her arms around his neck as he wrapped his own around her waist.

They looked into each other's eyes, neither able to look away as they became spellbound by the emotions they could see and feel running through the other. Hermione finally broke. She stopped their movements and stretched up onto her toes, using her hands on his shoulders to pull herself up while simultaneously pulling him down to meet her.

Their lips connected slowly, cautiously testing the waters as they explored the territory they had gone a month without. It wasn't enough and Draco pressed his lips more forcefully to hers, moulding them completely together. He groaned as her tongue slid across his lower lip, opening to allow her entrance before using his own tongue to dominate hers and take his turn at tasting the warmth of her mouth. He shivered as he savoured the sweet flavour that was pure Hermione and held her closer, knowing full well that with her body pressed so fully against his that she could feel his arousal.

This only seemed to spur her on as she grinded her hips into his, causing them to both let out whimpers of pleasure. Knowing that they shouldn't go any further tonight, Draco grudgingly slowed down. Hermione wasn't helping him in the slightest as every time he made to pull away she would lean forward and follow his lips with her own.

He finally managed to stop, giving her a few last pecks and placing his forehead against hers.

"Does this mean we don't have to take things slow anymore?"

The only response he received was her lips once again pressing against his.

.~***~.

"But I don't want you to go." Came the whiney response from Draco as he tried to stop Hermione from going to the library. Every time she put a book into her satchel, he would remove it and put it back on the table. He had been doing this for the past half-hour and, though she did find it rather cute, Hermione was beginning to get annoyed with him.

"I've already told you Draco. I want to get that potions essay finished and I can't do that here because_ someone_ has decided they're going to do their best to distract me from my work." She raised a pointed brow at him and continued to try and pack up her few books, only to have them unpacked again. She sighed in exasperation. "Can you please stop doing that? The faster I go and get this done, the faster I can get back here."

"Can I at least come with you? I promise to behave!" He pouted while batting his eyelashes pleadingly, but to no avail.

Hermione merely snorted at him in disbelief before taking out her wand and magically putting her books into her bag, closing it before Draco could remove them again. "We both know that you're not going to be able to just sit there and let me study in peace Draco. If that were the case I would have no problems staying here to do my work. I'm safely within the walls of Hogwarts and I'm wearing my anklet. There's nothing to worry about so please relax and I'll be back in a few hours."

She gave him a peck on the lips but pulled away before he could deepen it. Draco watched as she strolled out of her commons, flopping onto the couch as soon as his sensitive hearing could no longer pick up the sound of her shoes clicking in the corridor. A sense of déjà vu fell upon him as he recalled the first time she had left him to go to the library and he had called Blaise to keep from going crazy; but he was determined to do this by himself.

A minute, an hour, a day; he didn't know. All he knew was that he was moping. In actuality, it had only been twenty minutes since Hermione had left and he hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. He knew he should have been doing his own school work and that he would have to get used to this because he would never be able to be with Hermione every second of every day; but he wasn't able to concentrate on anything other than the fact that his mate wasn't with him.

He had finally decided that he would go find Hermione and just never let her leave him again when Blaise strolled through the door with Harry in tow.

"Gabrielle and Luna are having a girls day with Ginny and insisted that we enjoy some 'male bonding' time; though Theo managed to get out of it with school work. Then we ran into Hermione and she said we should just hang out with you since she was headed to the library and you were probably two seconds from going after her." Blaise said before Draco could even ask why they were there.

Harry and Blaise made themselves comfortable before settling into an awkward silence. Just because they had come to terms with the fact that they were no longer enemies did not mean that Harry and Draco were best mates all of a sudden.

Blaise was someone who hated silences, especially awkward ones, and so he wracked his brain for anything to say. "So… how about this weather we've been having?"

Harry and Draco gave him an odd look and turned to each other in question. "I guess it's been pretty nice?" Harry answered with a shrug.

"It has been rather sunny. Pity Hermione refuses to go near a broom. I'm just itching to get out flying."

"Perfect idea!" Blaise exclaimed. "Get your brooms gentlemen and meet me on the field in ten. We're having a scrimmage."

Thrilled by the prospect of playing some Quidditch, Harry and Draco whole-heartedly agreed to Blaise's plans and twenty minutes later they were all in the air, trying to outdo each other with different flips and tricks.

Blaise took the quaffle first and, where this was a free for all, was tailed closely by Draco and Harry as they attempted to stop him from scoring on the sole hoop they were using.

It was passed back and forth for a while; the score still zero all when Draco snatched the ball from an unsuspecting Blaise. He was just about to take his shot when a sense of fear and panic overcame him and he faltered; nearly colliding with the stands. He was just able to pull back in time and changed his course of direction immediately so that he was racing towards the school because he knew without a doubt that the emotions that had hit him were not his own.

His mate was in trouble and Merlin help whoever stood in his way.

Not even bothering to get off the broom, he flew through the entrance of the school, not caring in the least if he lost any house points for flying inside the school. It couldn't have taken longer than five minutes for him to reach the library doors but he soon found it was too late.

Harry and Blaise had followed close behind him, knowing that something terrible had happened. The first thing they found was Hermione's usual desk which still held the open potions books and the essay she had written along with the satchel Draco had continued to unpack that morning.

Hoping that maybe the feeling of uneasiness wasn't anything to worry about and that Hermione had merely gone in search of another book, the three boys scoured the library, finally admitting she had been taken after yelling out to her for a full fifteen minutes.

Draco was beginning to fall apart on the inside; becoming more and more frantic the longer he was unaware of what was happening to Hermione. He needed to find her and he needed to find her soon or the despair he was feeling would take over and he didn't know if he would be able to survive through it.

Harry, having experienced frights like these during the war, was able to keep a cool head and suggest that they begin to search other places in the castle. In his reasoning, someone wouldn't have been able to take Hermione very far without someone noticing something.

They decided not to split up since they would have no way of communicating with each other should one of them find anything and Draco tried in vain to find some trace of Hermione's scent. Too many students had passed through these halls and it was impossible to track which way she had been taken.

Draco could feel her fear as it increased and the pain it caused forced him to wrap his arms around his stomach and bend forward, trying in vain to hold himself together. He barely felt the reassuring hand on his shoulder or hear the voice telling him everything would be okay.

It felt like the walls were coming in on him and it was only made worse when Hermione's terrified thoughts filled his head.

**DRACO! HELP… PLEASE… I'M… SHRIEKING SHACK… TOOK ME… TRYING TO… HURRY… HELP ME…**

Her voice was so jumbled in her fear that he could only pick up on parts of the message she was trying to tell him; but he now knew all he needed. Rage filled him completely as it finally hit him that someone had taken his Hermione from him. Moving quicker than humanly possible, he wandlessly accio'd his broom and took off; yelling back Hermione's location to Blaise and Harry as an afterthought.

He flew wilder than he ever had before, narrowly avoiding trees and other obstacles as his goal grew closer. He was nearly there when he heard Hermione's screams and he felt them pierce through his heart. He forced himself to go even faster as he pushed his wrist against the handle, hoping to send Hermione some kind of hope so that she knew she wasn't alone.

_I'm almost there Hermione. Just hold on, I'm almost there. Don't leave me… I love you__._

.~***~.

Hermione sighed in contentment as she finished the last word of her potions essay and laid down her quill. She had been bent over the one piece of parchment for over two hours now and she could feel the knots forming as she rolled back her shoulders and stretched her neck. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back as she relaxed. The calm that always came after finishing school work settled over her and she smiled slightly at the feeling.

She was alone in the library, and had been for some time as it was a gorgeous day out and most students had taken the liberty to frolic in the sun. She was just contemplating packing up and looking for Draco to see if he wanted to take a walk around the lake when a sound caught her attention.

Apparently she hadn't been as alone as she thought as the shuffle of someone browsing through the stacks became louder; indicating that the person was coming closer.

Though slightly put off by the intrusion of noise in the otherwise quiet library, Hermione didn't open her eyes to see who it was. She soon regretted that as a muttered curse was spoken and she felt her body freeze before being levitated and moved.

She had been petrified – most likely with a simple perfectus totalus – with her eyes shut and so she was unable to see who her captor was. She felt panic overtake her as she tried to counter the curse wandlessly, but found herself incapable of focusing. She could tell they were moving quickly by the breeze the motion created, but was unsure where.

Hermione began to fear for her wellbeing even more when the air changed from the warmth of the castle to a cold dampness. She could sense the change in light from behind her lids and knew that whoever had attacked her was taking her through one of the secret tunnels hidden within the castle. Hermione was hoping she was wrong, but knew there was only a slim chance that this wasn't the passage leading directly to the Shrieking Shack.

After what felt like only seconds to her terror filled mind, Hermione felt herself being lowered to the ground and her wand removed from her pocket before the spell was lifted. She immediately opened her eyes and became accustomed to the light, viewing her attacker for the first time.

"Hello sweetheart. Miss me?"

"Ron! What the hell are you doing?" Hermione yelled at her ex as she put distance, and a table, in-between them. She took in her surroundings and was chagrined to find that he had chosen a windowless room with the only visible exit being the door he was standing in front of.

Ron smirked at her discomfort, pleased that everything was going according to plan. "Now, now, pet. It isn't very polite to yell at your boyfriend is it?" He pulled a chair over so that he was sitting in front of her only hopes of escape, casually rolling his wand between his fingers in a show of power.

"You're delusional Ron. You're not my boyfriend anymore, not since you cheated on me. Now why don't you move so I can leave and we can forget this whole thing ever happened?" She shifted slightly and heard a light clank as something hit the leg of the table. She glanced down only to feel an immense sense of relief and a sudden surge of gratefulness towards Blaise's crafty mind. If there was only some way she could reach down and not raise his suspicions, she could press the button on her anklet and let Draco know where she was.

"We both know that's not going to happen. You won't be leaving this room until you know who you belong to. I'm sick of having to sit back and watch you fawn all over that death eater filth like the little whore you are, but I'm willing to forgive you if you give me the proper thanks." His tone was suggestive and Hermione cringed at the implications behind his statement.

"I don't understand Ron. You have Lavender now. Why are you doing this?"

"Why? Well because it looks better if I'm dating you. Since you lost your mind and foolishly declared we were through I've lost pretty well everything. My family isn't speaking to me anymore since Ginny told them the true story, I've lost all social standing once Harry decided he would no longer speak to me, and now I'm forced to watch the ferret as he succeeds at getting into your pants, which is really the only reason I asked you out in the first place. All of this happened because you thought you could just get rid of me, so I'm going to fix this by reminding you that you will always be mine."

During his rant, Ron had stood and began to stalk her until she was backed into a corner. Her eyes moved frantically, searching for a way out that wasn't there. Hermione tried to push him off of her but he was much stronger physically and he didn't move an inch. One of his hands glided up her body, thankfully skipping over all the important parts, until he held her jaw firmly in his hand; rendering her incapable of moving her head.

"I'm really going to enjoy this." Ron stated before crashing his lips to hers. Hermione struggled even harder against him, but he continued to force himself upon her. He shoved his tongue into her mouth and Hermione took that as her chance. She bit down hard and was thrown to the floor a few feet away as Ron yelped in pain and spit out blood. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that."

When she had fallen, her ankle had twisted the wrong way. Hermione reached one hand down to hold it and used the other to help scoot away from her assailant. When she touched the cool silver of the device, she fumbled for a moment before finding the charm and squeezing it between her fingers; all the while making sure that it looked like she was merely holding her injured ankle.

**DRACO! HELP ME! PLEASE, DRACO. I'M IN THE SHRIEKING SHACK. RON TOOK ME AND HE'S TRYING TO… HURRY PLEASE… PLEASE HELP ME…**

Tears of fright streamed down her face as Ron drew closer and even in her own thoughts she was crying. She prayed that Draco would make it in time, but knew that something bad was bound to happen before he arrived.

"Well, well, well. What have we here? A little trinket from your boy toy? You certainly won't be needing that anymore." Hermione cried out a small 'no' as Ron ripped the anklet from her body and tossed it to the other side of the room. "It's okay love. No need to be sad. I'll buy you a new one and it will be so much nicer than anything that ferret could pick out."

He was just about to grab her when a dozen 'pops' sounded throughout the room and Hermione found herself and Ron surrounded by none other than Bellatrix and some of her followers.

"What do we have here? Someone having a party and didn't invite me? Well that just won't do." The self-proclaimed 'queen' tsked in fake disappointment. Ron reached for his wand, but was quickly disarmed by one of the many onlookers.

"Now, now, Weasley. Why would you go and do a stupid thing like that?" She didn't wait for a response, merely flicked her wrist with a casual utterance of 'Crucio'.

Ron writhed on the floor, screaming in agony, and it was all Hermione could do not to scream with him. All she could think was that she should have stayed in the commons when Draco had begged her to. Tears were streaming down her face as Ron's screams became more and more hoarse before ending all together when he passed out from the pain.

"What a pity. I was really hoping he would stay awake longer." Bellatrix commented as she nudged Ron's limp body with her foot. "One down and one to go I guess. I'd like to kill this one really, especially since his traitorous mother was the one who got me locked up, but someone needs to recount my being here. And besides, I may need him later."

She turned then to Hermione, who had finally managed to put on a brave face, though inside she was anything but. "So, we meet again my stupid, little Gryffindor. Thought a mudblood could outsmart me for long, did you? Thought the blood traitor would keep you safe with his love did you?" She circled Hermione as she continued to mock her, but Hermione's stance never broke.

Hermione was well aware that Bellatrix was more like a wild animal than anything else, she could sense fear and Hermione wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. She knew that though she may be tortured more for her stubbornness, Bellatrix would keep her alive until she broke and grew boring.

"Not going to talk, huh? Think you're above all of us don't you mudblood? Well let's see how tough you are when I'm done with you. Take her to the dungeons until I've decided where to start with her. Her lover boy could be here at any moment and I need him to suffer first before I physically confront him." Bellatrix commanded.

The follower nearest Hermione began to pick her up and it was only then that she began to struggle, screaming in hopes that Draco was near enough to hear her.

"Shut her up will you, I'm starting to get a headache." Hermione heard Bellatrix say before she felt a heavy blow to the head. Everything began to grow dark, and the voices around her no longer made sense.

The last thing she was conscious of was Draco's voice echoing through her mind;

_I'm almost there Hermione. Just hold on, I'm almost there. Don't leave me… I love you._

* * *

So, what did you guys think? This is the longest chapter I've ever written, and it's actually only half. I had planned a few more things, but then you wouldn't have gotten an update for another week or two, so I cut it short. I thought that was a good place to end it, though not sure how you readers will feel about it since it is a bit of a cliffy. What do you think is going to happen? Will Draco make it in time? Will Hermione be gone before he gets there? You won't know till next chapter which I will post as soon as I possibly can. Let me know how you feel about this chapter, I know a lot happens in it so if you have any questions that you want answered immediately you can pm me and if you have a question that can wait you can just leave it in a review and I'll answer it top of next chapter :]

Always,  
Ingenuity15

P.S. Because I have no idea when I'll be able to post again and because I really want to know what you guys think about this chapter, I'm giving you a little incentive. To every person who reviews this I'll be sending you a little preview of the next chapter, so drop a line and quench your curiosity a little ;) haha


	18. Chapter 18

Hey everyone! I know I told some of you that I would have this chapter up a few weeks ago, but just when I had finished it I was hit with a much better idea and had to rewrite it (More detailed explanation on profile). Of course half way through the chapter life got super busy and when I did have a free moment I just didn't feel like writing. My inner author has returned now however so hopefully I'll be able to get my schedule back on the go (or I might actually just start updating whenever I can) and to make up for the long wait I'll try to get the next chapter to you this Monday instead of holding off until next Monday like I was planning. Anyways, hope you all enjoy!

~Ingenuity15

tigers-and-dragons: I know the anklet is kind of inconvenient (as Hermione found out), but the reason Blaise chose it (or the reason I made him choose it anyhow) was for concealment purposes. It's a lot easier to hide one of those than it is to hide a bracelet or necklace and those things would be taken easier. Originally, I was going to have her keep it when Bellatrix showed up, but I decided against it in the end so the easy hiding isn't as relevant as it would have been. Hope this clears things up for people! Also, Fleur and her sister do have Veela blood in the books, but in this case if they do have it, it is dormant in them and so Draco wouldn't really react to it. Hope you keep reading and reviewing :)

dg17: Glad you asked about the communicating devices as I wasn't quite sure I was able to get across how they work in my writing. So, like the buttons, they don't have to be on the person for them to hear the other person's voice (which would be kind of annoying in the wrong hands really since there's no way to stop them from getting into your head unless you break their device.). Anyways, they only work for the people involved so if someone found Hermione's anklet, they wouldn't be able to use it to talk to Draco. In other words; Draco can still talk to Hermione because he still has his cuff, but she can't respond because she no longer has her anklet.

Thank you all for your reviews and sorry for the mean cliffy last Chapter… There's another one at the end of this so hopefully you won't hate me too much! Haha.

* * *

Draco jumped off of his broom, not waiting for it to completely stop, and pushed himself to run as fast as he could into the shrieking shack. He could smell Hermione's scent lingering and followed it through the many halls until it came to an abrupt stop in front of a closed door.

He kicked it in viciously, ready to rip apart whoever held his mate captive, only to find that there was no one there. He was positive Hermione was held in this room, but was now just as positive that she had been moved. About to leave and search other rooms, Draco was stopped when he heard a low groan. Looking for the sound, he discovered a bit of red peeking out from underneath the bed pushed to one side of the room.

Swiftly, he made his way over and pulled the unconscious boy from where he was hidden. Furious as things started to add up, Draco hauled Ron to his feet, casting a quick _Rennervate_ to awaken him.

Ron slowly came to, but soon wished he hadn't as he found himself pinned to the wall by a very desperate and angry veela.

"Where is she?" Draco growled.

"I don't know what…" He was cut off as Draco's hand came up around his neck, pushing him hard into the wood at his back.

"Don't lie to me. WHERE IS SHE?" He yelled as his grip tightened. Ron struggled to breathe and Draco's eyes began to glow as he was overcome by fury.

"Draco, stop it. You're not going to get anything from him if he's dead." Harry reasoned, holding his hands up in a defensive move as he stepped into Draco's line of vision. Draco released his hold on Ron enough so that he could breathe and talk, but not get away. "Now I believe you were asked a question, and I suggest you answer it before we're taking you back to Hogwarts in pieces."

Ron's eyes grew wide in horror as he looked at the three faces in the room. Draco was obviously enraged, Harry had a look of grim determination, and Blaise was somewhere in between the two.

"She's gone. I just wanted to get her away from you but Bellatrix ambushed us. She took her and now she's gone." Ron was sobbing as he fell to his knees; guilt at what he had done consuming him.

Draco shook his head, denying the words that had been spoken. "No, you're lying! He has to be lying! Why would you say something like that? Where have you put her?" He frantically began to pull apart the room; ripping the mattress to shreds, tossing the chair to the other side of the room, splintering the table. His search was in vain and it was only when he looked at the tear-stained faces of the others, faces that held such pity for him, that he allowed the truth to set in.

Screaming, he fell to the floor, the most excruciating pain he had ever felt taking over his every cell. He had failed his mate, unable to protect her, and he didn't know whether he would get the chance to see her again.

.~***~.

His eyes fluttered open and he squinted as he adjusted to the bright lights and white walls. For one moment he was blissfully unaware of what had passed, but then the pain hit him and it became harder and harder to catch his breath.

"Shh, son. You're okay, everything's going to be okay. We're going to find her and everything will be fine." Draco looked for the voice, finally realising he wasn't alone, and saw his mother sitting by his side. He hadn't been aware of it, but as she spoke, she had been stroking his hair in a soothing manner. It didn't work though because the only thing that could possibly make him better was having his Hermione back.

All he could think about was the fact that his mate was now in harm's way because he wasn't able to protect her. Tears welled up in his eyes and he turned away from his mother. He didn't deserve to be comforted, not when the one person who meant the world to him was in some unknown place facing Merlin knows what dangers. Who was there to comfort her?

On the other side of his cot stood his father and Dumbledore, both wearing solemn looks. The lack of confidence he saw in their faces made the tears he had been holding back fall and he shook with the pain that was ripping his heart apart. He felt arms wrap around him, helping him into a sitting position on the bed. He allowed his mother to rock him for a moment, not quite strong enough to pull away for a second time. He wiped the remains of tears from his cheeks and turned from Narcissa's embrace.

"What happened?" It came out as a whisper but he knew they would hear.

Lucius looked at him reluctantly before speaking. "I think we should wait until you calm down before discussing the details, son." There was finality in his voice, but Draco would have none of that. He needed to know exactly what had happened in the Shrieking Shack before he had arrived so that he knew what he was up against. Shaking his head, he refused to allow anyone to change the subject.

Dumbledore must have realised that he wasn't going to be able to calm down until he had learned the details, and so he hesitantly told him what they had learned from Ron a few hours earlier.

His pain grew the more he heard, but at the same time, so did his anger and determination. He wanted to kill Ron for taking Hermione from the safety of the castle and putting her in danger. Not only that, but the bastard had tried to harm her himself! He didn't care how sorry he was now, he was going to be begging for mercy by the time Draco was done with him.

Most of his anger, however, was for Bellatrix and her newly formed group of Deatheaters. They were the reason Hermione was nowhere to be found and they would soon find out the deadly consequences of coming between a veela and his mate.

"We're getting the Order together for a meeting tonight. All of our efforts will be going towards finding Hermione now and we won't stop until we find her." Lucius placed a comforting hand on his son's shoulder, trying to relay a confidence he did not feel. The order had been trying for months now to find where Bellatrix resided but to no avail. Unless they got a break soon, he wasn't sure if they would get to Hermione in time.

They chose a time for the meeting and promised to come and get Draco when they were leaving. Mme. Pomfrey wanted Draco to try and rest for a while longer so his three visitors left, leaving Draco to his thoughts.

He couldn't even contemplate sleeping. He was anxious, in pain, and needed to get up and feel like he was doing _something_. If Mme. Pomfrey wasn't so scary and if he knew there was something he could do before the meeting, he would definitely have gone by now.

He was lost in thought, replaying that day over and over, wondering what he could have done differently to stop the sequence of events that had occurred. He absentmindedly played with the cuff on his wrist, suddenly coming to the realisation that there was a way for him to comfort Hermione, as best he could anyway.

.~***~.

_I'm so sorry, Hermione. So sorry. I should have been there sooner, should have insisted you stay with me or that I go with you to the library. I love you so much and I need you to keep going for me. I'll find you soon Hermione, I promise. You're my life and I won't stop until you're back in my arms. _

.~***~.

Seven days. It had been seven whole fucking days, one week, and they still had no lead as to where Hermione was. Draco's initial determination was waning as each day passed with no hope and Hermione's pain grew worse and worse. He could feel every time her agony increased and knew someone was torturing her.

The Order was staying at Grimmauld Place, and in those moments where he could feel the pain of his mate, he would lock himself in the room he was staying in with Harry and break down. He could also feel every time despair and hopelessness threatened to take over her and he would grab tightly to his cuff and send her a message.

Always reminding her that she was loved and that everyone was looking for her.

Draco dragged his feet into the kitchen; he didn't feel like eating but knew he had to keep up his strength for when they finally found her. All conversation stopped as he stepped into the room and he was bombarded by pitying looks from all sides. They could all see the toll this was taking on him. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark circles underneath as the sleepless nights caught up with him; his face was paler than was usual and you could tell he had lost weight. He looked absolutely dreadful.

"We have a new lead." Harry offered up to him half-heartedly. It was something he said every morning, but it had lost its meaning as by every night they had found nothing but more dead ends.

Draco shrugged him off and chose instead to sit at the table, folding his arms and burying his face into them. He didn't want to see their looks anymore; he just wanted things to go back to when he could hold Hermione in his arms every night, knowing she was safe.

But she wasn't safe and he blamed himself for not protecting her; not being there when she needed him most.

"What the…" Draco looked up in time to see Theo catch Ginny as Blaise frantically ran inside, accidently knocking her off her feet. "Watch where you're going Zabini!"

But Blaise paid no mind as he searched the room, walking over quickly when he spotted Draco.

"Some first year gave me this when I went back to get a few things from the dorms. It has the dark mark on it." Draco snatched the envelope from Blaise's hand and ripped it open, quickly taking out the piece of parchment and scanning the contents.

"Who did you say gave this to you?" He asked, his voice holding no emotion.

"It was a first year, they told me that someone had stopped them at Hogsmede and told them to give it to either you or me. They were scared out of their minds Draco but they didn't know who gave it to them, only that it was definitely a follower of Bellatrix."

Draco crumpled up the note and threw it to the side. "Apparently I'm to meet Bellatrix at the 'place where it all happened' in one hour, alone, for a duel. Winner take all." He said it casually, as if his life was not on the line, and pulled a second item from the envelope that he hadn't noticed before.

"You can't Draco! You may be strong, but Bellatrix was Voldemort's right hand follower. He's sure to have taught her dark spells that you can't even imagine!" Blaise yelled, fear for his friend over taking his usual calm demeanour. Everyone in the room had gone silent, some grim and others stunned speechless.

"You're forgetting one thing, Blaise." Draco said, standing and letting the second item flutter to the floor. Audible gasps were heard as Draco turned to face everyone in the room, his eyes now a glowing silver. "You should never get between a Veela and their mate."

He stormed from the room, intent on preparing for the one battle he was determined to win. It took a few moments for the shock to wear off and for the tense silence to be broken. Blaise picked up what he could now identify as a photo and just barely stopped himself from crying out.

In his hands was a photo of Hermione, obviously taken while being crucio'ed as she writhed on the floor, screaming silently. Blaise suspected that it was sent to dishearten Draco to the point where he would be useless in a duel. Little did Bellatrix know that it had done the opposite, and she would be very lucky if she made it out of this alive.

.~***~.

_I don't know if anyone has told you anything Hermione, but I wanted you to know exactly what's about to happen. Bellatrix has challenged me to a duel, and I've accepted; but don't worry for even a moment. She doesn't stand a chance when I know that winning this could mean you safely in my arms again. I love you and I'll see you soon. Just keep holding on for me, love. I need you to be strong for just a little bit longer. _

.~***~.

Draco didn't hesitate as he strode into the Shrieking Shack. He had finally convinced the others not to follow him, but only after promising to take the device for communicating with Blaise.

The plan was to immobilize Bellatrix and then message for the others to come and help take her in. As much as he wanted to give her a slow and painful death, that would have to come later as she would be their only way of finding Hermione.

He finally made it to the room where Hermione had been kidnapped and found the door ajar. He gripped the handle of his wand tighter as he cautiously entered; Bellatrix wasn't exactly known for playing fair.

He had taken half a dozen steps into the room when the door behind him slammed shut. He spun around with his wand at the ready, only to come face-to-face with the one person on earth he despised most.

"Bellatrix." He snarled her name and felt every bit of the rage he had been keeping bottled inside come bubbling to the surface.

"Now, now. Is that anyway to talk to family? Come give your dear Auntie a hug." She replied, a sadistic smile gracing her features.

"The only thing I will be giving you is a curse! You took away my mate and you caused her pain! You're going to be begging for death once I'm done with you." He said menacingly. His inner-veela had started to take over, combining both magical sides of him and the increased senses and agility of the veela side. His eyes began to glow again and he could feel himself shaking as the increase in power rocketed through him like an adrenaline rush.

Though she was quick to cover it up, she was not fast enough to keep Draco from noticing the fear that had flashed across her eyes.

"Avada…" She started, but Draco was much faster.

"Expelliarmus!" The wand flew out of her hand and Bellatrix scrambled to get it, but it was too far away and Draco was already stalking towards her.

"Petrificus Totalus! Incarcerous!" Now petrified and tied up, Bellatrix stared wide eyed into the face of her captor. Though he wanted nothing more than to see her suffer, Draco calmed himself enough to reach into his pocket and call for the others.

They were all shocked that it had taken so short a period, but wasted no time in picking up their bound captive and taking her back to the temporary holding place they had set up. Just on the off chance that she escaped, they did not want to give her access to Grimmauld Place.

Draco stared at the floor where she had first fallen with drawn brows. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to find Blaise behind him with a similar look of distrust on his face. "Something's not right. It was all too easy, wasn't it?" Draco questioned.

"You're right. Something _is_ off, but I don't think it's what we're expecting. Let's get back and see what information we can get."

.~***~.

_We got her Hermione! She's all tied up with no escape and we won't rest until she tells us where you are. I'll see you soon and I promise that I will never leave your side again. I love you my strong girl, always remember that!_

.~***~.

They had been questioning Bellatrix for all of twenty minutes and Draco had already stormed from the room in frustration. She hadn't said a word, she had blocked everyone -even Dumbledore - from her mind, and no one would let him hit the bitch like she deserved; apparently they were afraid he wouldn't be able to stop once he started.

He was just about to go in and restart the questioning when he heard gasps coming from inside the 'interrogation' room. Throwing open the door, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he beheld the site before him.

Bound to a chair in the middle of the room was Bellatrix, whose skin was now bubbling and shifting until it was no longer Bellatrix who was tied there.

It was Pansy Parkinson!

"WHAT THE HELL!" Draco roared. "Isn't she supposed to be locked up somewhere after she almost killed Hermione at the start of the year?"

Pansy cackled from her spot as she cast her wild eyes around the room. "These fools thought a padded room at St. Mungo's could hold me! Like Bellatrix would ever leave me there! I was out of there in less than a day and no one knew! You're all fools and you will all pay for your muggle loving ways! Especially you, Draco!

"I bet you're suffering now aren't you? Did you like the picture I took of your filthy mudblood? She's not doing so great is she? I bet you'd just love to kill me right now wouldn't you? But you can't because without me you've got nothing! Hah!" She continued to taunt him, and though Draco found it insanely hard to restrain his anger, one thought kept him calm.

It was this thought that caused him to give Pansy a triumphant smirk. "Why do you look like that? Do you not care about that filth as much as you let on or have you finally cracked under all of the pain this is causing you?"

"Pansy, Pansy, Pansy… You remember a little while ago when we all tried to get into your twisted little mind and just couldn't?"

Pansy's smile grew as she gloated. "Oh yes, Bellatrix trained me herself! Called me her little protégé and everything! You all think you're so smart but I'm smarter! Not even Dumbledore himself could get past my defenses!"

"Well, that's where you're wrong. You see, we were trying to see into Bellatrix's mind and well, let's face it, you're no Bellatrix. Let's see how you fare when the spell actually works."

Draco's eyes began to glow once more as he raised his wand to point at Pansy's forehead.

"LEGILIMENS!"

Pictures flooded his mind as he took the time to process each one; disregarding earlier memories in favour of the most recent. What felt like hours to him were only minutes to everyone else in the room and soon Draco's eyes cleared and Pansy slumped forward in her bindings – both drained and defeated.

For the first time in a week, Draco truly smiled.

"I know where she is!"

.~***~.

_I'm coming for you love. We're all coming for you._

* * *

I know it's not that long and that I, once again, leave it off on a bit of a cliffy, but I am trying to get the next chapter out to you in four days time so don't be too upset about it haha. Next chapter is Hermione's and all about what's happening to her while this is going on, so it won't exactly be happy; not that this one was either… Anyways, I've done it out and there are going to be six or seven more chapters! That's it, and then this is all done :( Think we can get this up to 500 reviews? That's only 9 more so I don't think I'm asking that much since this one got over 40! haha  
Hope you enjoyed it! And like last time, all reviewers will get a preview (once it's written! haha)

~Ingenuity15

P.S. Go check out the new story I have. It's a Twilight imprinting one so some of you may not be interested, but imprinting has the same sort of idea of 'soul mates' that veela does so if you've never tried it before I urge you to! I'm not a fan of the twilight books but I absolutely love a lot of the fanfiction!

P.P.S. In some places in Canada (and in Alaska I do believe), it is illegal to give moose alcoholic beverages... There goes my friday night! haha. If anyone has any random facts feel free to share them! I'll post a few of my favorites next chapter!


	19. Chapter 19

Here it is! Chapter 19! I know it was a whole two months in coming, but if you're an avid reader of mine you know that's pretty average. However, and I tell you this because this story is almost at an end and because I really want to complete this, I will be putting my other stories on hold once I have updated them all once (Already updated two, well three now, just three more to go!) and concentrating solely on writing this. The main reason it takes me so long, my lovely readers, is because I'm writing six stories at once and hate concentrating on just one story at a time, so I'm really writing six chapters while writing this one. Anyways, if you are following my other stories, I apologize, but I'm hoping to have this one done and finished within the next five or six weeks (one update per week, think you can keep me motivated?) before deciding how best to go about updating the other five. HOWEVER; on hold does not mean hiatus (I'm talking maybe two months here, so regular update time haha) and it does not under any circumstances mean that I am not finishing my stories. I will do it if it kills me! Anyways, if inspiration hits I'll update one of my other fics, but I am DETERMINED to update this once a week until it is done. That's it, game face is on. So every Tuesday, expect a new chapter of this! And I mean it this time, I will do it if I have to tie myself to my desk chair and not move until it is done.  
Anyways, thanks for all of the reviews (over 500! *happy dance*) and hope you all enjoy this next chapter!

~Ingenuity15

Also, thank you to WaitingForRand for pointing out something I hoped only I had noticed and for letting me bounce some ideas on how to fix it.

* * *

Hermione didn't know what time it was, or even what day for that matter. She just knew it had been too long since she had seen the outside world. She shifted from her place in the corner and groaned as her bruised body protested the movement.

As soon as her captors had apparated her, she had been thrown into this dingy cell and had not been moved since. It felt like all she knew were these four gray, cement walls and the smell of dank dampness. If the torture wasn't enough, they had refused to feed her; only giving her enough water to live on. Her lips were chapped and every time she moved them, they'd crack and bleed.

The only thing that had kept her going, kept her living through this pain and not lose herself to it, was the sound of Draco's voice and the reminder that outside of these walls were still people who cared for her and needed her. The reminder that a war was still being fought and that she had so much more to live for. She was determined to survive this and come out alive; for Draco, Harry, her parents, her friends… for herself.

Every time Bellatrix or her minions came in to try and get information from her, and every time they cursed her or physically beat her because she refused, she always noticed the glimmer of surprise from them; surprise that she was still alive and fighting. But like Voldemort before her, Bellatrix was incapable of understanding love and the things it could accomplish.

She drew upon that love now as the despair threatened to take over. She quickly brought up the happiest thoughts she could.

She thought of her parents, of how proud they were when they discovered she was a witch, and the brightest one of her year no less. How they would try to understand the wizarding world and everything she tried to explain, just so she could share every aspect of her life with them. She thought about the trip to France they were planning to take as a family this summer, and how they were planning on surprising her with it for Christmas, thinking she knew nothing of it.

She thought of Harry, her oldest and closest friend, and how strong he had been when the war with Voldemort had raged. Remembered how she had dug him out of trouble more times than one could count, and how he always thanked her profusely for helping him with homework. Theirs was a friendship of time and she only wished she had spent more alone time with him over the past month, since they had both been spending most of their time with their significant other or in a large group. She made a mental note to have a Harry-Hermione day once every two weeks once she was out of here, so that they would never lose that special bond they shared. He was like the brother she never had and she missed him dearly.

Instead of concentrating on how much she missed him, she thought of her ever growing group of friends. At the beginning of the year it had been just Harry, Ginny, and herself; Ron having grown into a giant git who should be lucky if he ends up without Azkaban time for what he did. Eventually, Draco had won her over, and with him came Blaise who she had come to know and respect for being such an amazing friend to Draco, though that was certainly not easy at times.

Eventually, her friends had gained significant others of their own and Luna, Gabrielle, and Theodore joined their close knit group. She couldn't have asked for better friends. Gabrielle and Ginny were always there for those girly moments and chats, Luna was good not only for a laugh at her knowledge of non-existing creatures, but for her knowledge of existing ones as well. She and Hermione had spent many hours sharing the information they had both collected over the years. Harry and Blaise were like older brothers to her. They were protective of her and would always lend an ear. Though where she could easily talk to Harry about personal things and play a rousing game of wizard's chest, she had found a kindred spirit in Blaise and discovered he was quite knowledgeable about an array of subjects.

And then there was Draco…

He had become an integral part of her life in such a short period of time that it still surprised her sometimes when he was so sweet to her after the history they shared. She knew that he had changed, that he had given up his prejudice and truly cared, even loved her.

She knew that part of her feelings for him, and part of his for her, were part of the Veela bond; but she also knew that that wasn't all of it. From what she had read, and what she understood from Draco, she didn't need to fall for him and he could have refused her – only if he wished to die though. But the magical pull did not lie, and she soon found out he was her perfect match in every way.

He was even more knowledgeable than Blaise and she could have long, intelligent, and meaningful conversations with him for hours on end. They still argued, but it wasn't as hate filled as it used to be, instead it kept the fire in them both alive and now ignited other parts of her body. And his kisses, Merlin his kisses were amazing.

She also found that the silences they shared were just as incredible and significant to her as the conversations they had. She would read on the couch with her head in his lap, and he would do whatever he felt like in that moment. Sometimes he would read with her, other times he would nap, and even more often he would just stare at her, stroking her hair and memorizing her features. At first it had distracted her, made her squirm and feel slightly uncomfortable, but after a while, it became comforting; she enjoyed knowing that she had his undivided attention.

These times with Draco always made her the happiest, and she went on to think about something she had discovered about herself and her relationship with Draco, something that made her feel so much better about the whole affair.

She had never felt dependant on anyone before; she was Hermione Granger! What she couldn't tell you on the spot, she could certainly find the answer for you within the hour. But the more time she spent with Draco, the more he insisted on taking care of her, the easier it was to lean on him and not hold the world on her shoulders any longer. She had thought she had lost that strength that had helped her through the war with Voldemort, thinking that she couldn't be strong without Draco; this entire ordeal was causing her to rethink that.

She had her strength, she knew she would not have lasted this long if she wasn't still Hermione Granger, the bookworm who was stubborn and determined as hell. However, those moments where she would feel that connection with Draco, where he would send her a message to let her know that they haven't given up hope in finding her; it was in these moments that she knew that while she was undoubtedly strong, she was even stronger with Draco.

She hadn't lost herself as she had thought, just gained another source of strength and love to draw upon. That was another thing she had concluded with the many hours of alone time she could devote only to thought; she loved him. Really and truly loved him.

And she'd be damned if she didn't make it out of this to tell him herself.

.~***~.

"Come on you two. If she didn't tell us anything after that, she won't be telling us anything at all. I still don't understand how she continues to keep us out of her mind, filthy mudblood." He spat out the last word and swept out of the room in a flurry of black robes, the others following close behind.

Hermione could feel the pressure in her ribs and was sure that something was broken. Though they had started out with simple crucios, it had ended with them physically beating her; mainly kicking her where they could since they would never stoop to hit her with their actual flesh. They were too 'above' that.

There was one thing that made her feel hope however; though her body may be slowly giving up, her mind had grown stronger. It was impenetrable to Bellatrix and her followers, and it would remain that way until she died. No, she refused to think that way, it would remain silent to them until she got out of here.

With her thoughts still going, Hermione felt her eyes close and her body collapse further into itself due to the strain it had gone through. All was black.

.~***~.

Hermione was woken by a stream of water hitting her face and she sputtered as she attempted to sit, finally giving that up when she almost blacked out again and remained laying. She looked up at the person who would next deliver her punishment only to find one Pansy Parkenson. Shocked could not begin to describe what she felt, though she knew she should have expected the girl to have escaped at some point.

"Surprised to see me mudblood? When I heard they had you locked down here I just had to see for myself." She said in that screeching voice as she walked around the brunette and nudged her limp body with a polished boot. "Not much are you, though I suppose you will be even less once that blood traitor is dead. He could have had me you know, could have been a cherished member of the inner circle. Pity he stuck with you and must die now, though it is a shame with such fantastic looks. Maybe I'll take him one more time, show him what he missed out on."

Though she forced herself to remain calm on the outside, she was anxious and scared on the inside. What had these crazy bitches planned to do to her Draco? Oh how she wished more than ever that she could communicate with him.

"First thing's first, need to set the trap with some bait, something to make him really despair and lose hope. I think a picture of you in the middle of a crucio would do nicely." She didn't even have time to register Pansy's words when she was filled with a pain that was quickly becoming familiar to her.

She passed out before the curse was lifted, though she had no doubt Pansy had gotten her picture. She could only hope that she knew Draco as well as she thought she did, and that this form of taunting would only prove to be incentive for him to fight better and harder than he ever had before.

.~***~.

By Hermione's estimation, Draco's last message about going to battle had been an hour or so ago and Hermione was truly panicking now. She had not heard a word from him or from any of the 'wanna be deatheaters' and so she had no idea who had won. Perhaps they were still battling, or perhaps Bellatrix was out celebrating? Though she did not wish to think that; she would hold on to the hope she had until she knew for sure either way.

_We got her Hermione! She's all tied up with no escape and we won't rest until she tells us where you are. I'll see you soon and I promise that I will never leave your side again. I love you my strong girl, always remember that!_

Hermione's relief and joy was almost a palpable thing and she couldn't help but smile slightly at Draco's message. She sent him her love, hoping that he would somehow feel it, and waited for the next torture to come. Though she was too weak to escape for herself, she could keep herself alive long enough for Draco and the Order to save her.

When the door creaked open, Hermione's eyes bolted to the figure and she felt the blood drain from her body. Bellatrix stood before her, so who had Draco captured…?

"Well, well, well, still alive I see. Pity, I was hoping you would have died by now and I wouldn't have to do any work to kill that blood traitor mate of yours. I could avada you right now, quite easily in fact, but where's the fun in that? I quite like watching you wither away." She cackled and kicked the chains that bound one of Hermione's ankle to the wall. Hermione had to withhold the whimper of pain as it shot through her. She would not let Bellatrix find a weakness.

"You're not even fun anymore. I suppose you can't even scream. Not much fun at all…" She clucked her tongue in disappointment and stared with no pity at the witch's weak and broken form on the floor. "Very well, no more water for you I think. You can suffer and die here for all I care. We have enough information already to get by and you will certainly be no loss to the world. I wonder how long you'll live now." She laughed viciously and swept out of the room, her followers copying her movements.

It was only then that Hermione allowed herself to relax and feel the relief course through her very being. Draco was obviously still alive, so were the rest as Bellatrix would surly gloat if any of them were harmed, and apparently Bellatrix had no idea of Pansy's plan.

Hermione was confident in her opinion that Pansy was off doing something stupid and had probably gone off to prove her worth; more than likely polyjuicing herself as Bellatrix to do so. Hermione felt hope flair up inside of her and knew without a doubt that Pansy would be Bellatrix's downfall and her saving grace. Draco chose that moment to confirm her suspicions;

_I'm coming for you love. We're all coming for you._

.~***~.

Though it was hard, she roused herself enough to realize that something big was happening. There was much crashing and yelling coming from the room above her, she knew the order had finally arrived and that she would finally be free from this pain.

She tried to yell, to give them some hint of her location as she figured there was probably some concealing enchantment on the door. She would have thought it would be silenced as well, but she knew Bellatrix loved hearing her scream too much to cover it up.

For once, her voice failed her however, and so she tried to think of some other way to give away her position. She wasn't going to be able to remain conscious much longer and she needed them to find her soon.

With everything she had left, Hermione felt for that part of her that was irrevocably connected to Draco and pushed as much of the magic she had left into it, reaching out to him and hoping it would be enough.

She heard the loud roar of a beast and heard even more crashing, though this time outside the room she occupied.

The door slammed open, and through her barely open eyes she could make out her angel. He was glowing silver and looked positively lethal, though she was not worried. She had never felt safer than in that moment and knew it was okay to let him take over from here.

"Draco…"

She whispered his name, barely loud enough for his sensitive hearing to pick up, before promptly giving over to the all-consuming darkness; no longer terrified of what awaited her when she woke up.

* * *

So… thoughts? Was it short, yes; do I have an incredibly long chapter planned out (and started) for chapter 20; absolutely. We're looking at possibly the longest chapter yet! Also, there are two big reasons why this is so short; 1- This was all about Hermione and her thoughts and feelings. I feel I have adequately described them here, so why babble? 2 - I've been in a really good mood this last month and a bit, so writing something so unhappy was like pulling teeth. I'll more than make up for the length next chapter, though I still want to hear your thoughts on this! Also, I will be giving out previews to reviewers once more (SWEAR you will be getting them sometime tomorrow, and not the day of the update), and since I have labeled next chapter 'the rescue' I'm hoping many of you will be curious and this will be incentive, but really, let's try for 555? I'm not reaching too high, just 23 reviews… I just love the ego boost I get, or the help I get for improving my writing. Regardless if I reach the 23 or not, I will be posting next Tuesday!

Until then,  
Ingenuity15

P.S. Sometime tomorrow I will be adding some of the random facts I received to my profile. However it's time for bed… night my loverlies!

P.P.S. Every year, kids in North America spend close to half a billion dollars on chewing gum, yeah... totally donate quite a bit to that... haha


	20. Chapter 20

Hey everyone! So, I think we can all agree that me posting only a day after I promised NEVER happens, and so I'm pretty proud of myself haha. This is the last excitement filled chapter before things start to slow down and eventually come to an end. There are only about 5 more chapters left to this! I don't know how to feel about that, but that's all you can do! Thanks to all of you who reviewed and I hoped you enjoyed the preview! If you didn't receive one it's because you have private messaging disabled. Anyways, enjoy!

~Ingenuity15

* * *

"So, we know where Bellatrix is and now all we need is a plan of attack," Harry started off. They had just finished getting all of the information they could from Parkinson and the entire Order was now squeezed into the kitchen, trying to figure out where to go from here.

"I have an idea, why don't you bloody gits untie me and I'll go avada Bellatrix from the face of the earth!"

"But if we did that then you'd rush off and get yourself killed, and that really wouldn't do anyone any good, now would it?" Harry reasoned as he looked over at the blond seated in the corner. As soon as they had gotten Hermione's location Draco had been all for going that instant. Harry, however, knew that if they didn't have some sort of basic plan everything would be utter chaos. Draco, not thinking logically because of the need to find his mate as soon as possible, didn't understand that reasoning and found himself in his current predicament; magically chained to the kitchen chair.

"I don't give a damn if we have a plan or not. The longer we're here, the longer Hermione is in the hands of that bitch and if she so much as lays a finger on my mate while we're here talking instead of going out to save her, I'll fucking tear you to pieces!" His voice had started at a low rumble which soon grew into a loud animalistic growl. His eyes flashed silver and his entire body seemed to glow as he shook with rage.

No one would be safe from his wrath if they did not calm him… and fast.

Harry approached cautiously with his hands up to show he meant no harm. "Draco, I need you to calm down and control the veela." He was answered with a growl and the rattling of chains as Draco struggled even harder to break free of his bonds. His eyes were feral and he snarled at everyone in the room. "I know what your instincts are telling you, but if we don't have a plan then there is no way of telling what will happen. Hermione could get hurt in some sporadic crossfire if we go in at the wrong time and I know you don't want that. There we go, deep breaths now. I promise we will leave in ten minutes tops, plan or no plan."

Draco had finally regained some control and the glowing faded completely, as did the struggling. He slumped forward and, whimpered slightly, giving in to Harry's logic. Blaise walked to him and pulled him into a hug, not caring how 'unmanly' that seemed; his best mate was in so much pain and it grieved him to have to witness it.

"Okay people, you heard me, we head out in ten minutes. Throw some ideas out and we'll decide on the best course of action. No matter how much we want to take Bellatrix down, just remember that our main goal is to get Hermione out of there."

Many voices sounded at once, people trying to get their opinions out there while simultaneously trying to be the loudest. Harry attempted to sort through the multitude of voices, but that was soon becoming an impossible feat.

"Oi! One at a time, please! I only have so many ears." Harry yelled. The room settled down and he was once again able to hear his own thoughts. "Okay, let's try this again. Who here has a plan that they _know _will be quick, efficient, and give us the upper hand."

There was silence before someone spoke up, surprising everyone in the room. "I think I have an idea. Nothing fancy or too complicated, that's what Bellatrix would be prepared for. I think she expects us to do something grand, so the last thing she would anticipate is for us to just walk right in. We should do a quick look about to see where it's most heavily guarded and then surround the place before making a stealthy attack to the outside and hopefully leaving the people on the inside unawares of the danger. An attack from all sides would give us the advantage of surprise, and if one side isn't as heavily guarded as the others, at least one of us should be able to get past and find Hermione. We need to be quick and quiet about it though, so no one has time to grab her and apparate away."

The usually silent Theodore Nott was right of course. Bellatrix wasn't a subtle person, so she wouldn't be expecting anything as simple as an outright attack. It was as good a plan as they were going to get, and the only one they could come up with as Draco started yelling at them again.

Their ten minutes were up and it was time to go finish a war.

.~***~.

"I didn't think anyone could be cockier and more sure of themselves than Voldemort, but I've been proven wrong. I'd say this was too easy to be true, but this is Bellatrix and she's insane, so of course she would leave the bloody place unguarded!" Blaise ranted to Draco as he looked through the forest and to the abandoned castle Bellatrix had been using as a hideout. Theo had almost gotten it right, Bellatrix wasn't expecting a subtle attack; in fact, she wasn't expecting an attack at all by the looks of it.

They only had about five minutes to check their side, finding it completely still, and needed to head back to the clearing where they first arrived to meet with the others. They were the last ones to get there, as Blaise had to basically rip Draco from his spot to make him move further from Hermione than he currently was.

"So myself and Nott decided to do some scouting a little closer and, I can't believe I'm about to say this, but Bellatrix is so confident in her hideout that there is not one person or spell guarding it." He sounded confused but, then again, who could understand the motives behind anything Bellatrix does?

"So, new plan then," He continued, "We're going to split into two groups, one to enter from the front and one to enter from the back. Go as quietly as you can and take out or disable as many as possible. The idea is to get in and out with Hermione before anyone even knows we're here. Got it?"

Draco was getting more, and more agitated the longer they took. Finally, he growled at the others until they divided into two groups at a faster pace than anyone thought possible. He hadn't spoken a word since they arrived; he could feel Hermione's pain, knew she didn't have much time left, and was also very aware of how close he was to saving her. If it wasn't for Harry's warning before he left, that he would alert everyone inside too soon and they would take Hermione, he would have already been gone.

The two groups split and headed for their specified entrance. Draco followed the pull on his heart and led his group – consisting of Harry, Blaise, Theo, Lupin, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Kingsley, Mad Eye, Fred, and George – to the back door.

They crept through the halls in complete silence, having cast a cushioning charm on their shoes prior to entering so that their steps would not echo through the halls. Draco didn't have a clear idea of where he was going; only knowing that the bond was telling him he was going the right way.

They encountered few people and were able to quickly disarm them, tying and gaging them before dragging them into shadows so they were not easily seen. It had been no more than five minutes before they surprisingly met up with the others in front of large oak doors. They could hear the laughter coming from inside, especially Bellatrix's loud cackles and knew they had reached the right place.

Flinging open the doors revealed a large chamber filled with the stunned faces of a mere fifty followers; apparently Bellatrix was nowhere near as popular as Voldemort had been. Bellatrix herself sat upon a gold throne, allowing someone to feed her grapes while she tortured one of her own.

There was no hesitation as spells flew out over the room. They had the element of surprise, but that only lasted a moment before spells were thrown back at them. It was nothing but chaos as people split off to duel their separate battles.

Time was slipping by and the veela in Draco was slowly gaining control as the need to rescue his mate grew stronger and stronger. His problem was that every time he knocked one bastard down, another one would take his place.

Through the corner of his eye he spotted Bellatrix and a few followers leaving quietly through a hidden door behind a tapestry. He knew instinctively that she was going to try and escape, with Hermione in tow, and he would not allow it. In fact, if Bellatrix so much as looked at his mate one more time he wouldn't hesitate to end her life.

Determined, he strode across the large room, dealing swiftly with anyone in his path. He found himself being trailed by Harry and Blaise who had both seen what he had.

Apparently Bellatrix had not learned from her mistakes since they caught up with her easily, the sound of her loud voice leading them down a stairwell and into the dungeons. She was still so sure of herself that she was casually strolling with her two followers, bragging about how stupid the Order was and how she would be leaving with their 'filthy mudblood' without so much as a scratch.

It was this casual stroll and the fact that she was so off her guard that Draco was able to disarm her with only a casual flick of his wand. Bellatrix wheeled around in shock before grabbing the wand of the wizard closest to her, leaving him defenseless.

As if it were an unspoken rule, the other four stepped back, allowing Bellatrix and Draco the room to circle each other and duel. They had made it into a large, empty holding cell and had more than enough space to really face off.

"If it isn't my favourite member of the family. Come to save your precious little mudblood slut are you? Sorry to say there's not much left for you to save. I doubt after the damage I've done that she'll ever recover… assuming you get her out alive that is." She taunted, sending a dark curse at him in the process.

Draco was easily able to block it and countered with a spell of his own, hoping to incapacitate Bellatrix until they could get Hermione's location from her.

Harry could see the signs of Draco losing control and knew Bellatrix truly was an idiot. Provoking a veela, even a part-veela, was not something you did if you wanted to live; especially if the subject you were taunting them about was their mate.

Draco didn't bother trying to hold back the untamed part of him any longer, instead encouraging it to come out. He began to glow, his eyes shining silver, and soon he had gained the upper hand in the battle.

But as stupid as she was, Bellatrix still knew how to duel, and so she managed to stave him off, switching to a defensive tactic as Draco bombarded her with every spell he knew. Then it happened; he felt Hermione's magic pulsing through the bond and that was all he needed to get through Bellatrix's defenses and immobilize her.

Harry and Blaise took that as their cue to step in and took care of the other two as Draco followed the intensified pull towards Hermione. He stopped in front of a wall, and the veela inside knew on instinct that there was a door hidden here. As if sensing the creature's intent and knowing it would get through even if the wall had to be blasted, the magic melted away and the entrance was revealed.

Not even bothering with the lock, Draco threw open the door, splintering the wood in half. He was no longer in command of his own body as the veela finally found his mate, though in worse condition than he had expected.

He was just in time to watch her pass out, whispering his name as if in prayer just before unconsciousness took her. He quickly assessed her, noting the numerous bruises and cuts, the obvious broken bones, the sallowness of her skin, and the dark circles around her eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to go back out and tear Bellatrix apart slowly so she felt every limb as it left her body; but he couldn't. The need to take care of his mate was even stronger and so he went to her, carefully cradling her in his arms and nuzzling his head into her neck, willing her to wake up.

He was so distressed that when he felt another presence in the room he automatically retreated into a crouch, no longer able to differentiate friend from foe. They were all a threat to his mate as far as he was concerned.

As it was, Blaise waited a moment before laying his wand to the floor in an act of submission, trying to appease the beast in Draco before trying to reason with the man.

"Draco, I know you're worried right now, we all are, but I promise the threat is gone. We need to get Hermione to St. Mungo's where the healers can take care of her. Do you understand Draco, we need to get Hermione to St. Mungo's or she won't get better. She's safe but we need to get her help." Draco's eyes were still glowing, and it was obvious that he still had no control, but it seemed that he understood. He slowly stood back up, Hermione still in his arms, and within the blink of an eye he was gone, Blaise apparating quickly after in case he had to calm Draco again.

.~***~.

St. Mungo's emergency room was like a bustling hive, everyone moving hurriedly from one task to another. All of this came to a sudden halt however when an obviously upset and angry veela appeared carrying a very well-known war heroine, who happened to clearly be verging towards death.

Another man popped up beside him and spoke urgently to the veela, who growled back, but nodded anyways.

"I promise he will not harm you, but his mate is gravely injured. She was kidnapped about a week ago and has gone through countless, unknown torture. We need your best healers on this immediately!" There was no room to argue with him and the room came to life once more, though with an even greater sense of urgency. An emergency room was automatically prepped and a medi-witch brought a trolley over to Draco for him to place Hermione on.

He snarled at her, refusing to relinquish his mate. He held her closer, causing a small moan to come from the battered Hermione. That small sound was all it took for the veela to lose all strength and for Draco to regain control. Realising that the only threat was Hermione's health he laid her gently down. She was taken away before he could blink and that was when the worst part began; the waiting.

One by one members of the Order began to show up until the room was crammed to capacity. After a half hour of frustrated healers trying to push through the crowd, everyone was told to leave; except for Draco and Harry that is because one was Hermione's other half and the other was the saviour of the wizarding world. With promises to keep everyone informed, they were left alone.

Draco could not stay still. Now that he was able to think clearly he knew the situation was dire. He could still feel his bond and knew Hermione was alive, but it was weak, very weak, and that had him worried beyond comprehension.

Even Harry, who was concerned for his best friend of seven years, could not understand the extent of the emotions Draco was experiencing. It seemed like hours had gone by since Hermione was taken away to surgery, but it had only been about twenty-minutes; time did not seem to be on their side today.

It took two hours and a few screaming matches between Draco and random healers before someone approached with news of Hermione.

It wasn't good, but it wasn't the worst either; there was still hope.

Hermione had extensive injuries ranging from a leg broken in three places, both arms with hairline fractures, multiple cuts and bruises, four broken ribs, and some internal bleeding.

It was touch and go for a while, but they managed to stop the bleeding, heal the superficial wounds, and set the bones before giving her some skele-grow to help them heal.

Draco felt a moment of relief, assured Hermione was going to be better, but the look of pity on the healers face made him realise that there was more news, and that news wouldn't be good.

"I'm sorry to inform you, Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Potter, that Ms. Granger is experiencing some complications from the torture that we cannot fix. It seems her mind has shut itself off from the body, most likely to protect itself from damage. Now this is a good and bad thing so don't lose out on hope just yet." The healer tried to assure them, but was positive it wasn't doing any good.

"What exactly do you mean by her mind shutting itself off, and how could that possibly be a good thing?" Draco said despondently. He didn't want his suspicions to be confirmed, though at the same time knew that he needed to know.

"It means that she's in a coma, Mr. Malfoy, and only she is able to bring herself out of it. It's good because if she wakes, she will not have any brain damage and her recovery time will solely rely on her ability to overcome the emotional damage. The bad news…" He didn't continue, they all knew what it was; the one word that lingered in all of their minds.

_If._

.~***~.

They were brought to Hermione's room and Draco stood in the door for a moment, just seeing her frail body attached to the machines monitoring her health. The steady beat of her heart was the only thing holding him together right now.

He conjured up a chair and placed it directly next to her bed, remembering all too familiarly the similar situation when she had been in the hospital wing after Pansy's attack. He never wanted to see her this way again. He took her hand gently between two of his and placed a reverent kiss on her palm, disheartened by how cold it was.

Harry didn't stay long, leaving to give Draco some time alone and to inform everyone else on Hermione's condition.

As soon as the door closed, Draco allowed the tears to fall. Agony ripped through him as he was faced with the fact that he had failed.

He had failed Hermione in so many ways over and over again; hurting her with his insults, taking away many of her choices by having her as a mate, unable to save her from Pansy, from Ron, from Bellatrix. Unable to heal her now.

Faced with the fact that she may never wake up, he finally broke down. Sobs racked his body as he released all of the pain he had felt since Hermione was taken; all the pain he was feeling now.

He replayed in his mind all of the moments he had had with her. The smiles and laughs she had graced him with, the knowledge they had shared, the kisses and promises that he had given her. The promises of an amazing future that may not come true now.

No longer content with sitting by her side, he crawled onto the cot with her, careful not to touch any part of her that was still healing. Holding her gingerly in his arms he kissed her forehead and buried his head into her tangled and limp curls, continuing to cry as he remembered how lush and wild they had been just over a week ago.

She was so tiny and fragile in his arms, but he knew she was still so strong; and he was counting on that strength to get her back to him. She would wake up, he refused to believe in anything else.

The one thing he did know though, the one thing he could say with certainty, was that there would be hell to pay for this.

Parkinson, Weasley, and LeStrange all would be begging to die when he was done with them.

* * *

So, still not happy with parts of this (don't think I was meant to write battle scenes...), but that's the cost of getting it out in a week instead of a month. Also, I know this was not as long as I promised; it's about 3 pages shorter than the original because this was a MUCH nicer place to leave it; trust me on that, you would hate me for the ending I had originally had. However, this means I have 3 pages of the next chapter written and will be sending previews to reviewers whenever I'm online tomorrow! Only a few chapters left; the recovery and a few just to wrap things up. Hope you keep reading and reviewing!

~Ingenuity15

P.S. Interesting fact; This year, and this year only, no matter who you are, if you add the age you have turned/will be turning by the end of the year with the year you were born you will get the number 111. (Ex. I'm 19, born in '92 I get 111. If you're say 31, you were born in '80 and that will still give you 111. It will actually work for everyone! Unless you're 112 years old... then you're on your own)


	21. Chapter 21

Hey everyone, sorry for the late update, but the shitty week I was having plus the lack of response I got for the last chapter hasn't exactly put me in a writing mood… Anyways, I promised I wouldn't go all whiney on you guys for not reviewing because I did get a good response to one of my other stories, so no more mention of it. Also, I've decided that there's only going to be one more chapter after this (third part of the bonding) and then the epilogue. The other chapters would just drag this along too much and I don't really feel like doing that. Unfortunately I'm in the mind right now to write this just so it's done, and I don't want that to happen, I want to actually want to write this but I just don't love it as much as I used to… I think it's just because of my crap week though so we'll see how I feel later on. Anyways, enjoy this second to last chapter and thank you for all of your encouragements and for all of you who have patiently followed me to the end of this. We're almost done!

~Ingenuity15

* * *

He grunted in annoyance and tried to force himself back into the darkness of slumber, but it was no use. The voices continued until their muffled sounds became words and those words began to have meaning. He sighed, there was no way he would be able to go back to sleep.

"Now see what you've done? You've woken him up!" someone whispered harshly.

"Well it's just as much your fault as it is mine! You were talking too!" another person replied, not even bothering to lower his voice.

"Oh would you two quit arguing already?" Draco decided it was best to tune them out, instead snuggling closer to his mate who he was still curled around. He didn't want to deal with these people right now, preferring to be left alone to drown in his own emotional turmoil.

He was a failure to his mate, and if she didn't wake up… No, he refused to even acknowledge that possibility. Hermione was strong, stronger than anyone he had ever known, and she would pull through this and come back to him. She had to.

"We know you're awake mate, you may as well turn around and talk to us." He recognized Blaise's voice and gave in, knowing they would continue to pester him until he did. He carefully slid his arms from Hermione, almost whimpering at the loss of contact, and got off of the cot to face everyone.

He wasn't surprised to find Blaise, Luna, Harry, Gabrielle, Theo, and Ginny all crammed in the room. They had all become very close over the month, and he would always be grateful to them for helping him save Hermione. "You guys don't have to be here you know. I'm fine and the healers know how to contact you if there's any change in Hermione's condition." He couldn't muster up enough strength to put any emotion in his voice, so every word he said came out flat and cold.

"What do you mean we don't have to be here? Of course we don't have to but we want to! You need us now more than you realise, and we want to be here for Hermione too." Ginny replied.

"Your parents were here most of the night as well, but they went back to Headquarters to freshen up and help decide what will be happening to the lot we captured last night. Everyone sends their love, and wanted us to let you know that besides a few minor scrapes and bruises, no one received any major injuries. Most of Bellatrix's followers were either very inept at spells or pissed out of their minds, so it wasn't too big a feat." Harry added. Draco felt bad for a moment, he hadn't even thought to ask about the outcome of the battle or how everyone had faired, but then he remembered why he hadn't thought to ask and shut down again. As grateful as he was for everyone's help, Hermione came first.

"That's good." His voice remained emotionless and the others gave him worried looks that he ignored. Draco just wanted to go back to holding his mate and not have to deal with anything else. Everyone had survived, they all cared, he understood and now he wanted them to go. He knew why they were really here and didn't plan on having any kind of therapy session with any of them that moment.

"Draco, how are you holding up?" Ginny looked at him with such concern that he just wanted to yell at her that he wasn't the one in a coma and that they should be worrying about Hermione and not him, but he withheld. He didn't want to feel anything, knowing that the pain would come with it, and so he kept up the empty façade.

"Fine."

No one believed him and he knew it.

"Draco…" Blaise reached out to his best friend of years, only to have him jerk away from the touch.

"I'm fine, okay! Perfectly fine! I'm not the one who was kidnapped, or tortured for days! I'm not the one who's currently fighting to find consciousness! I'm the failure and I don't deserve or want any of your concern!" He yelled at them all. They just stared at him speechless, unmoving. That is until Luna got up. Though Blaise went to hold her back, afraid of what the temperamental veela might do, she did not hesitate as she reached a shaking Draco and pulled him into a tight embrace.

At first he did not react, but soon his shaking turned into racking sobs and he pulled Luna closer to him as he used her for support. She stoked his hair soothingly as she whispered to him. "It's okay, just let it out… It wasn't your fault... Hermione wouldn't want you to blame yourself." He just cried harder and soon found himself engulfed by many pairs of arms, all reassuring him that Hermione would never blame him for what had happened and that he should not blame himself.

It was an hour before everyone's tears were dried and they found they could speak freely. Ginny had been right, he had needed his friends to be there for him, just as much as they needed to be there for Hermione; he had needed their reassurances that he was not at fault and that his love would not wake up and then tell him to leave, though he still would not blame her if she did. Only Hermione could get him to forgive himself and they would just have to wait for her to wake up.

Hopefully that would be soon as every single person could feel the strain of her absence.

.~***~.

It had been a month. An entire month and there was still no change in Hermione. She was still as pale and unmoving as she had been thirty days ago and Draco had not left her side since she arrived. He ate whenever someone brought him food and allowed a nurse to spell him clean when he started to smell too strongly, but that was all.

For the first week after his break down his spirits had been better, but when she didn't wake up in the second, third, or even the fourth week, still with no signs of any kind of improvement, any hope he had was crushed and he was now only breathing because she was.

He had heard the worried voices of the healers just yesterday and now despaired more than ever. They hadn't realised their hushed voices would carry to his overly sensitive ears, but they did, and they too had lost hope in Hermione ever waking.

Draco wouldn't give up though, no matter what anyone told him he would not leave Hermione's side for _when_ she came out of her coma – he would never use the word if – he wanted to be the first thing her eyes took in.

Though he had stopped speaking to anyone sometime during week three, he would talk to Hermione every night before he slept. Always about how much he loved her and needed her to return to him.

This night felt different to him however. It felt as if some crossroad had been reached and, though he had thought he was out of tears, they flowed freely, leaving tracks down his cheeks and landing onto their intertwined hands.

"Hermione, I don't know if you can hear me, if you've been able to hear me any other night but please, please… I need you to open those beautiful eyes of yours. I need you to tell me I'm an idiot for thinking you'd never wake up, for thinking it's my fault. I just… I need you to wake up love. I'm not sure how long I can last not knowing… please… I love you… wake up... please…" He repeated his pleas to her through his cascading tears until he finally fell asleep.

.~***~.

Draco was woken suddenly by flashing lights and many loud noises. He instantly searched for the source of the racket and panic set in when he discovered it to be the machine monitoring Hermione. He looked her over for any signs that something was wrong but she remained still as always, though he could see her eyes moving rapidly behind her lids.

These evaluations were made within seconds and not long after healers came pouring into the room, shoving him to the side, each of them casting spells Draco did not understand. He was so confused and filled with fear as to what was happening that he was frozen.

He stood there, watching as wizard after witch after wizard cast their incantations and finally snapped out of his stupor.

"What's going on? What's happening to her? Is she all right? Damn it, tell me she's alright!" He yelled to no one in particular. He was approached cautiously by the healer who had first relayed to him the news and could not read his expression. He just wanted to be told that Hermione was going to be fine and that the machine had merely malfunctioned or something of the sort.

"Is she… I mean… just tell me she's not dying, please!" He pleaded, eyes filling with tears, prepared to fall the moment his suspicions were confirmed.

"It's not that Mr. Malfoy… it's just… I'm not sure how to say this… but I think she's waking up!"

.~***~.

It was dark, it had been dark for so long, and Hermione was scared it would always be dark. She could remember what happened, could remember drawing into herself once her magic and body gave out, because if she could do nothing else she would protect her mind.

It had felt like eternity, while feeling like only seconds, and she didn't know how long she had been left in the inky blackness. She wanted to move but for once, she was just too scared. What if she tried to find her way back out of her mind, only to draw further into the recesses?

The thing that finally got her off her feet and moving blindly forward was the thought of the suffering her friends and family must be going through. She didn't even want to imagine what state she would find Draco in.

So with these pictures of loved ones tumbling through her mind, she stumbled onward. Once again, time meant nothing as she put one foot in front of the other. It was slow going but she didn't run into anything and so she was grateful.

Light suddenly burst from all around her, came out of nowhere and from nothing, and she had to close her eyes as they adjusted to the blinding glow. She blinked a few times before things started to take shape and her breath caught in her throat.

She was standing on a paved road in a flowing white dress, before her the road forked into two separate paths that were different, yet held a similar feeling of finality.

To her left the path was smooth, surrounded by lush, green trees and ripe fruits of every kind. There were larks singing amongst the branches and the sun filtered through the leaves, creating a sparking effect. It was absolutely breath taking.

The path to her right seemed to be the growing version of the first. The trees were currently bare, but buds were forming on the branches. The lane was rough in places, not yet smoothed out, but it wasn't beyond repair. The larks were sleeping and the sun was just now beginning to rise. It didn't hold the same ethereal beauty as the left road did, but it did embrace something even better.

Hope.

It wasn't hard for her to figure out what her choices were, the smooth path tempting her to give in and live in perfect peace forever, or the path leading to reality where things were rough in places, but filled with hope for a bright future. It wasn't a hard decision to make, especially once the voice of her angel called to her from the right. "Please… I love you… wake up…"

And even though she was tired, and wanted so desperately to follow that beautiful path that exuded eternal rest, she followed her heart to the right. The farther she went the heavier she felt until she was crawling on the ground. She knew she couldn't stop, that she was almost where she needed to be… If she could just go for a little while longer.

Everything went black again, but it was different. First came the feeling in her limbs, she could tell she was lying down and, by the stiffness in her body, had been for a while. Her eyelids felt like they were glued closed but she knew she could open them if she really tried. She tested the function in her limbs, wiggling her fingers and toes until she was content they were all there and in working order.

Before she had a chance to try opening her eyes, sound came to her and she cringed away from it. After sitting in silence for so long, the bombardment and chaos of the noise around her was nearly too much to bear. She began to discern certain words and separate voices, hearing phrases such as 'medical miracle' and 'in all my years…'.

By the time she heard the one voice she wanted to hear, she had finally decided to try lifting her lids. "Come on love, you can do it, open those beautiful eyes now. I've gone far too long without seeing them."

That was all the encouragement she needed to start the slow process of returning to the world of the living. Within a few moments she was rewarded for her efforts with the stunning sight of her Draco - and she would call him that for with the realisation that she loved him came the knowledge that he was hers as she was his.

His smile looked painful it was so big, and tears were streaming down his face. She didn't want him to cry, he looked like he had been through hell and back already –though she was sure she didn't look much better.

They memorized each other's features, drinking in the sight of their other half, and Hermione slowly lifted her hand until it reached his cheek, wiping away the tears. "I knew you'd find me."

He chuckled, his voice strained from the excess of emotions he was feeling. "Just as I knew you'd come back to me."

.~***~.

It took two days before Hermione was willing to tell the aurors of her ordeal. At first she hadn't wanted Draco there, thinking he would not be able to control his veela side once he heard of the torture she had gone though. But she could not do it without him.

It was still too fresh on her mind, but once she was settled in between Draco's legs with her back resting against his chest, she found it wasn't as hard to go through as she had expected. Everyone was surprised by how unphased she seemed while she retold her story and automatically assumed she was putting up a front.

But she truly wasn't.

Bellatrix was gone, sent to Azkaban and sentenced to the dementor's kiss. Pansy was sharing a cell right across from her. Ron had been expelled from the school and his mother, who came very close to disowning him, sent him to live with his brother Charlie who, upon hearing what had happened, gave him the delightful job of cleaning up dragon dung.

Everyone who had tried to hurt her was gone and since Draco had not left her side for a minute, she had never felt safer.

She knew it wasn't healthy for them to be clinging to each other like this so, after allowing them a few days to convince his veela side that she was safe and not leaving him and giving them time to re-establish their bond, she made him go back to headquarters for at least six hours to shower, eat a good meal, and get a decent nap on a proper bed. He lasted about three before rushing back into the room and she had simply laughed at him as he cuddled into her side and begged her to never make him leave again. She figured baby steps would work and let him stay.

They kept her under observation for two weeks and after a week of therapy she was given the go ahead to leave. No one understood how she could be over this kind of trauma so easily, but Hermione simply shrugged her shoulders when they asked, knowing Draco would probably drag it out of her once they returned to their dorms. She wasn't disappointed.

"Hermione, please talk to me about it! You haven't broken down, haven't thrown anything, haven't done anything to suggest you were nearly tortured to death! Explain, please! And so help me, if you shrug one more time…!" He was pissed but she understood why. He was just frustrated at the situation, not her.

"Draco, come here." She patted the spot next to her on the couch and he took it. She grabbed his hands into both of hers and waited for him to look at her. When he did he could see a small, sad smile on her face and wished he could make it a real one.

"I won't pretend what happened to me wasn't painful and distressing because it was. I don't think I've ever been so terrified in my life. But while I was in that coma with nothing but silence and darkness around me I had time to think, and you know what I decided? If I let this get to me, if I became afraid that there is someone lurking in every shadow, afraid that everyone has some kind of malicious intent towards me, I'd be letting her win! And dammit, I didn't work that hard to stay alive and sane during that week just so she could win in the end!" She let out a heavy breath and realised Draco was no longer looking at her. She felt his hands shaking and tried to make him face her.

"Draco…" He threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace, burying his head into the crook of her neck. She could feel the wetness of his tears and held him just as tightly, rubbing his back comfortingly. She knew he needed to get this out, needed to be sure she didn't blame him for what had happened. Luna had spoken to her in one of the rare moments she was without Draco and explained the break down he had had that first day. She warned Hermione this would probably be coming, that both the veela and the man were experiencing so many emotions that it was impossible to let them out in just one moment, so she just held him and let him cry.

It took a while before she could understand his mutterings, but when she did it broke her heart. "My fault… please don't leave me… I don't deserve you… should have protected you… you deserve so much better than me…"

"Draco Malfoy! You stop this and you stop it right now!" She knew that most people would need to be coddled until they stopped feeling sorry for themselves, but Draco was not most people. She knew being his mate meant that there was no one more suited for him than she was and because she knew him for so long she knew there was no better way for him to release his pent up emotions and frustrations than arguing with her.

"It's true though! I couldn't even keep you safe in Hogwarts! If I had just…"

"Just what Draco? Followed me everywhere I went? Locked me in the dorms? What?" She watched as his eyes flashed and he pushed off from the couch to pace in front of her, pulling at his blond locks. She stood too and continued in a calmer voice. "There was nothing you could have done Draco. Things happen but we can't be scared forever, we can't live in the past. I learned that when we started a relationship."

"You just don't get it! Our relationship was nothing like your being kidnapped! You almost died Hermione! I had to hold your broken body in my arms and have someone tell me you may never wake up! Do you know how scared I was, how scared I am? I don't want to experience that again, I don't think I can." He had started out yelling but had ended defeated. Hermione approached him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head against his chest and enjoying the warmth of his arms around her shoulders.

"We got through this Draco, we're both alive and we're both going to be stronger for it. You just need to let it go, realise you can't always be there but know that you will always come to my rescue. You're an amazing man Draco and more than I could have ever hoped for." He saw the sincerity in her eyes as she looked up at him and he believed her. He didn't care if he thought he deserved her, just that she did.

Hermione stretched up and brought her lips to his for their first kiss since the kidnapping. Neither had felt it had been the right moment, until now that is.

Draco bent down to make it easier for her to reach and pressed his lips more firmly to hers. He had forgotten how amazing it felt to be intimate with his mate and made a mental note to never wait this long again. He moved his arms down her back and to her waist, lifting her slightly off the ground and groaned when she wrapped her legs around him, making him very aware of just how easy removing the layers of clothes between them would be.

Hermione surprised herself by being the one to deepen the kiss, licking his lower lip sensually until he granted her entrance. She felt a dip and assumed Draco had taken them to the couch, but didn't really care. She shifted herself on his lap to get into a more comfortable position and moaned with him as she came into contact with his hardness. She could feel it straining against his jeans and couldn't help but test their boundaries as she rocked against him again, all the time tasting his essence from the source.

She felt his hands tighten their hold and knew he had allowed her control for long enough. He soon turned the tables and became the one who was devouring her. His tongue danced with her own as it invaded her mouth and she couldn't stop the sounds of pleasure escaping her.

Draco was having a hard time controlling himself and soon slowed things down before they went too far, allowing Hermione to breathe as he kissed down her neck, licking his mark on her collarbone.

He calmed his own breathing and just held her closely nuzzling her hair aside so he could take in her scent. "I love you," he murmured into her skin, surprised when she pulled his face up to hers, an emotion swimming in her eyes that he had never seen there before.

"I love you too."

* * *

Well, there you have it! Hermione's awake, most of the healing is done, she got to say 'I love you', and we are almost at an end! There will be two chapters left; the third part of the bonding (which will be my first real stab at a full length lemon, so not sure how that will turn out… guess I'll have to do some studying ;) haha) and then and epilogue. Hope the pace of this chapter was okay with you guys, like I said above, I kind of wrote this one because I felt obligated and I'm not sure if it's my best. I think it's better than the last chapter because I actually went through it, but definitely not my best. I'm in a better mood from one of my other fics though so I'll hopefully be feeling the next chapter. Leave me with your thoughts, opinions, concerns, and/or critics! Preview for the next chapter should be sent sometime tomorrow and will probably be posted sometime next week!

~Ingenuity15


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